Parental Opinions and Approaches about Childhood Vaccinations: Are Anti-vaccination Approaches and Indecisiveness Parental Rights?

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze parental opinions regarding immunization services and the factors that affect parental decisions regarding the vaccination of their children. We conducted descriptive study with 373 parents. The Parent Information Form and the Public Attitude Toward Vaccination Scale-Health Belief Model developed to evaluate vaccination approaches, were used. Of the parents who participated in the study, 35.9% stated that they found the information on childhood vaccinations unreliable or that they doubted the credibility of the information. In addition, most of the parents (71%) stated that they believed that the high number of immigrant children in the country causes contagious diseases to increase. It is found that there are statistically significant higher scores in the subscales of severity, susceptibility, and health motivation among the parents who disagree with the media statements on anti-vaccination attitudes (p < 0,001). Opinions and approaches of parents toward childhood vaccinations are affected by sociodemographic characteristics. In this study, the educational level of parents was found to be the most important variable affecting the approach of parents toward vaccinations.