Abstract
Health science students are tomorrow’s health professionals, the duties of whom could include vaccination. This work examines the general attitude towards vaccination in students attending the Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Chiropody at a university in Madrid, Spain, using the ‘Attitudes and Behaviour With Regard To Vaccination Among Health Science Students Questionnaire’. The results were subjected to multivariate analysis to identify the influence of sex, the degree being pursued, and ‘course year’. The number of students vaccinated against influenza in the campaign preceding the present study was also recorded, as were the factors that influenced decision-making in this regard. A total of 934 students completed the questionnaire. Their beliefs regarding vaccination were positive (mean score 3.23 points out of 4), as was their behaviour (3.35/4). Their general attitude (all variables taken together) was therefore also good (3.27/4). Only 26.8% of the students had been vaccinated against influenza. Beliefs scores among the students of nursing in their more senior course years were significantly better than those recorded for all other groups. These students also showed the best general attitude towards vaccination and formed the largest group vaccinated against influenza. The results obtained are encouraging since nursing students are the most likely of future healthcare professionals to be involved in vaccination programmes.
Highlights
Vaccination is one of the most efficient public health interventions for controlling transmissible disease
The beliefs, behaviour and general attitude towards vaccination among the study subjects can be said to be positive, especially among the students of nursing, and they improve year on year as these students progress through their course
These findings are encouraging since it is largely nurses who are responsible for administering vaccines; they reflect a positive influence of the instruction they receive
Summary
Vaccination is one of the most efficient public health interventions for controlling transmissible disease. Even though vaccination might be considered the all-time most efficient means of preventing disease [3] (with the exception of the provision of clean drinking water), and while vaccination coverage is very high in Europe, including Spain [4], recent years have seen the rise of anti-vaxxer movements which have led to an increasing rejection of, or at least hesitancy towards, vaccination [5,6]. The World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation defines vaccine hesitancy as “a delay in accepting or rejecting safe vaccines, despite the availability of vaccination services” [7]. This hesitancy is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience, and confidence. While complacency and convenience are related to the perception of risk of disease and accessibility to vaccination services, confidence is defined as trust in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and the health system that delivers them [6]
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