Vaccine hesitancy must be addressed as a public health priority. The main goals of the cross-sectional analysis were to assess awareness, beliefs, and practises about vaccination problems, to estimate the incidence of vaccine hesitancy, and to assess the efficacy of vaccination therapy on community advocacy in a general population sample. An online validated questionnaire was distributed at Palermo’s main shopping centre, supplemented by personalised vaccine counselling interventions. To estimate the intervention efficacy, in comparative to the same time of preceding and after years the four main association parameters were analysed on the vaccinarsi.org web site, two months before the intervention. Of the 299 participants registered 12.7% were hesitant regarding vaccines and 4.7% were vaccinated. The most affordable source of knowledge on vaccines was general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians.

Among the subjects who considered “alternative solutions” to be the best way to prevent infectious diseases, a higher chance of vaccination hesitation was identified. The prevalence of vaccine hesitation is consistent with literature evidence in the population studied. HCWs can play a vital role in changing personal beliefs and vaccine decisions, such as GPs and paediatricians. Proper vaccination therapy may boost vaccination issues such as web-based testing efficiency.

Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2020.1728157

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