Vaccination Knowledge and Perception among Pharmacy Undergraduates in a Northern Public University in Malaysia

Introduction: Worldwide, pharmacists are one of the advocates and practitioners which are commonly overlooked in improving vaccine hesitancy.Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the vaccination knowledge and perception level as well as the sources of information sought, to support the importance in including the topic within the existing pharmacy curriculum.Methods: A cross sectional study using a validated and tested 43-itemed questionnaire were conducted among pharmacy students in USM. It included 4 domains of demographic data, knowledge on vaccination, perception towards vaccination and source of information on vaccination. Scoring and grouping of knowledge and perception level is based on modified Bloom’s cut-off point. A confidence interval of 95%, p value ≤ 0.05. Chi-square, ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test were considered for the analysis of data.Results: Among 478 eligible pharmacy undergraduates, 311 (65%) participated and completed the questionnaire with a majority of female’s respondents (76.5%). Nearly 72.1% of the students had fair level of knowledge and 90% had good perception level towards vaccination. Online resource shown to be the favourable source of information onvaccination(84.2%). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant knowledge difference across the age, study year and races, (p=.02), (p<0.05) and (p<0.05) respectively. On the other hand, the level of perception shown to have a significant association with nationality (p=0.016), gender (p=0.049) and race(p=0.002).Conclusion: Majority of the students were shown to have fair knowledge and good perception towards vaccination, suggesting the need of implementing vaccination content delivery in the existing curricula to ensure better understanding and practice towards vaccination advocacy.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue: 2021 Page: S28

Enhancement of Vaccination Attitude and Flu Vaccination Coverage among Pregnant Women Attending Birthing Preparation Course

Most vaccinations are recommended within the 15th month of life, in order to reduce risks and to protect children from the initial stages of their lives. A vaccination training session was carried out during the birthing preparation course, aimed at increasing the attitude toward vaccination in maternal-child age. A questionnaire on vaccination awareness was administered before and after the training session and on-site flu vaccination was offered to women and their companions. The percentage of participants who consider the preparatory course a useful tool to obtain information about vaccines increases significantly from 30.34% at pre-intervention to 64.56% at post-intervention (p < 0.001). There is a significant increase in the mean number of vaccinations that the participants want their children to get. The number of participants believing that there is no relationship between vaccination and autism rose from 41.05 to 72.97% (p < 0.001). In total, 48 out of 119 (40.34%) pregnant women participating in the course and 39 companions were vaccinated for influenza. Vaccination knowledge and attitude significantly increased after a training session dedicated to vaccination as a part of the pregnant pre-birth course, whose aim can be therefore extended to the management of the health of the child, well beyond the period of pregnancy, according to the life-course approach to health.

Understanding the Influence of Individual and Systemic Factors on Vaccination Take-Up in European Citizens Aged 55 or Older

Background: High vaccination coverage provides extensive public health benefits. Hence, increasing vaccination rates is an important policy goal within the EU and worldwide. We aim to evaluate individual and systemic parameters associated with vaccination in European Union citizens aged 55 or older, using data from the Special Eurobarometer 488. Methods: Linear probability and probit models are estimated to analyze the determinants of vaccination take-up. Further, descriptive analyses are used to explore how the reasons for not having a vaccination differ by welfare regime. Results: High knowledge about the effectiveness and safety of vaccination increases the probability of receiving a vaccination during the past five years by 26 percentage points (pp), medium knowledge increases it by 15 pp. Focusing on the specific case of the flu, official recommendations increase this probability by, on average, 6 pp; while having to pay out-of-pocket for a recommended vaccination decreases it by, on average, 10 pp. Furthermore, the differences for no vaccination differ widely across welfare systems and television is the primary source for information about vaccination. Conclusions: Reported vaccination rates in Europe fall far below targets set by official recommendations. Increasing vaccination knowledge and offering vaccinations free of charge can help to increase vaccination rates. A specific focus should be put on reaching individuals with potential difficulties of access such as those living alone and unemployed.

Adult vaccination in Brazil: a cross-sectional survey on physicians’ prescription habits

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo characterize adult and older adult vaccination practices of physicians from various medical specialties in Brazil, identify the barriers influencing prescription of vaccines to these populations, and evaluate the physicians’ knowledge on routinely prescribed vaccines.METHODSCross-sectional survey conducted in Brazil between June-August 2018. Eligible physicians included those from general practice/family medicine, geriatrics, cardiology, gynecology, endocrinology, infectious disease and pulmonology. The survey’s questions addressed the physicians’ prescription habits, sociodemographic and clinical practice characteristics, barriers to vaccines’ prescription to adult and older adult patients, and physicians’ knowledge regarding routinely prescribed vaccines. The study focused on the vaccines recommended by the Brazilian Society of Immunization (SBIm) for adults and older adults. Study sample was stratified according to the number of physicians per specialty and Brazilian region.RESULTSA total of 1068 surveys were completed. The vaccines prescribed by the highest proportions of physicians were Influenza (>90% of physicians for adults and older adults), Hepatitis B (adults: 87%; older adults: 59%) and Yellow Fever (adults: 77.7%; older adults: 58.5%). Underprescription was reported by less than 20% of prescribing physicians for all adult and older adult recommended vaccines. The most common barriers to vaccination were the high vaccine cost, lack of time during appointments and lack of patient interest. Knowledge on target populations, dosage schedule and availability in the Unified Public Health System (SUS) was generally low.CONCLUSIONSThe results showed a considerable variability of prescribing habits across recommended vaccines and medical specialties. Although most prescribing physicians seem to be aware of the importance of adult and older adults vaccination, knowledge deficits on vaccines’ target populations, dosage schedule and availability in the SUS may hamper their ability to prescribe vaccines to all patients with an indication.

"This Screening Cannot Be Done For Virgins Because They Have Not Had any Sexual Intercourse " Knowledge on Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination Among Females at Oyibi Community.

BackgroundAwareness about cervical cancer screening and vaccination in the developed countries are high as compared to the developing countries. Sixty to eighty percent (60 - 80%) of the women who develop cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa live in the rural areas with inadequate awareness on cervical cancer screening. However, cervical cancer knowledge remained a significant direct predictor of screening behaviors. The study therefore aim to explore the Knowledge on Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination among females at Oyibi Community. A qualitative exploratory design was employed to purposively recruit 35 participants who were made up of 7 members in a group forming 5 Focus Group discussions in all. Data was retrieved using a semi-structured interview guide. ResultsThe study revealed two main themes with 7 subthemes. The two main themes were Cervical cancer screening and vaccination knowledge and Cervical cancer vaccination effectiveness and cost. The subthemes were; knowledge on cervical cancer screening types, knowledge about cervical cancer screening and vaccination centers, knowledge about how cancer screening is performed, knowledge about cervical cancer vaccination, cervical cancer screening and vaccination sources of information, knowledge about the effectiveness of cervical cancer vaccination and awareness about cervical cancer screening cost and vaccination cost. ConclusionThe study revealed low knowledge on screening and vaccination of cervical cancer, and effectiveness of cervical cancer vaccination but high awareness about the centers. There is therefore the need for heightened sensitization regarding cervical cancer screening and vaccination in rural communities to help reduce misconceptions and increase patronage rate.

Parental concerns and uptake of childhood vaccines in rural Tanzania – a mixed methods study

Background Vaccine hesitancy has been recognized as an important barrier to timely vaccinations around the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, 1 in 4 children is not fully vaccinated. The objective of this mixed methods study was to describe and contextualize parental concerns towards vaccines in Tanzania. Methods Between 2016 and 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional survey (n = 134) and four focus group discussions (FGDs, n = 38) with mothers of children under 2 years of age residing in Mtwara region in Southern Tanzania. The survey and FGDs assessed vaccination knowledge and concerns and barriers to timely vaccinations. Vaccination information was obtained from government-issued vaccination cards. Results In the cross-sectional survey, 72% of mothers reported missed or delayed receipt of vaccines for their child. Although vaccine coverage was high, timeliness of vaccinations was lower and varied by vaccine. Rural mothers reported more vaccine-related concerns compared to urban mothers; literacy and access to information were identified as key drivers of the difference. Mothers participating in FGDs indicated high perceived risk of vaccine-preventable illnesses, but expressed concerns related to poor geographic accessibility, unreliability of services, and missed opportunities for vaccinations resulting from provider efforts to minimize vaccine wastage. Conclusions Findings from our cross-sectional survey indicate the presence of vaccination delays and maternal concerns related to childhood vaccines in Tanzania. In FGDs, mothers raised issues related to convenience more often than issues related to vaccine confidence or complacency. Further research is necessary to understand how these issues may contribute to the emergence and persistence of vaccine hesitancy and to identify effective mitigation strategies.

Evaluation of Vaccination Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices and Health Literacy Levels of Adults

Background This study aims to evaluate the vaccination and immunization knowledge, attitudes and practices and health literacy levels of adults living in rural area of Eskisehir City in Turkey. Methods The study is a cross-sectional study conducted on individuals aged 18 years and over who live in the rural area of Eskisehir City between November 16 and December 30, 2018. The study group consisted of 955 participants. The survey includes the questions about the evaluation of vaccination and immunization knowledge, attitudes and practices and the questions from the European Health Literacy Scale Short Form (HLS-EU-Q16). The statistical significance value was accepted as p ≤ 0.05. Results 493 participants (51.6%) of the study group was female. Their ages ranged between 18 and 85 years with a mean (SD) 42.6 (15.6) years. In the study, it was found that 325 people (34.0%) had insufficient knowledge of vaccine and immunization. A positive weak correlation was found between the scores obtained from the information questions about vaccination and immunization and the scores obtained from HLS-EU-Q16 (r = 0.252; p = 0.001). It was found that there was a weak positive correlation between the scores obtained from information questions about vaccination and immunization and the scores obtained from questions about their attitudes and practices towards vaccination and immunization services(r = 0.333; p = 0.001). Being 65 years and older, living in the village having not been vaccinated in the last 10 years and lack of previous information about vaccines, were found to be important risk factors for lack of knowledge level on vaccine and immunization. Conclusions In the study, it was observed that one third of the group's vaccine and immunization knowledge levels were insufficient. Determining the factors that affect the level of knowledge about vaccination and immunization may be important in terms of sustaining the effectiveness of vaccination applications and campaigns. Key messages Lack of information about vaccines and insufficient knowledge about vaccine-preventable diseases can feed individuals' indecisiveness to vaccination. Health education and information services can be provided to increase the level of vaccination and immunization knowledge.