Experience with Parental Vaccination Refusal and Attitudes about Vaccinations of Pediatricians in Greece

Maltezou, H. and Gkentzi, D. and Grivea, I. and Chaliasos, N. and Galanakis, E. and Pavli, A. and Katerelos, P. and Syrogiannopoulos, G. and Roilides, E. and Theodoridou, M. (2015) Experience with Parental Vaccination Refusal and Attitudes about Vaccinations of Pediatricians in Greece. British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 5 (8). pp. 971-977. ISSN 22310614

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Abstract

Aim: To study the experience of Greek pediatricians with parents who refuse their children's vaccination and their attitudes towards vaccinations.
Study Design: Nation-wide questionnaire-based survey conducted from February through May 2013.
Methodology: We included 211 pediatricians.
Results: A total of 190 (90%) pediatricians reported that they had encountered at least one case of parental vaccination refusal in the past. During 2012, the pediatricians faced a mean of 10.5 cases of vaccination refusals / 1000 vaccinations. The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was the most frequently refused vaccine, followed by the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. "Fear of adverse effects" was the most frequent reason of vaccination refusal (83.8%) followed by "Use of alternative medicine" (46.4%) and "Anti-vaccination belief against all vaccines" (45.3%). Internet was the most frequent source of information for parents who refused vaccination. Of 201 pediatricians, 135 (67.2%) stated that "Childhood vaccinations should be mandatory for primary-school entry", while 28 (13.9%) stated that "Parents have the right to refuse their children's vaccinations". Lastly, 130 (61.6%) pediatricians stated that they had concerns about vaccines, mainly about their costs (46.2%).
Conclusion: Refusal of vaccinations by parents is not frequent in Greece and concerns mainly the HPV and the MMR vaccines. Pediatricians should improve their ability to deal with this issue.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: STM Digital > Medical Science
Depositing User: Unnamed user with email support@stmdigital.org
Date Deposited: 02 Jun 2023 13:23
Last Modified: 24 Sep 2024 12:15
URI: http://research.asianarticleeprint.com/id/eprint/1018

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