New Caledonian biology teachers’ opinions about vaccination: Preliminary findings

Abstract

Objective: Vaccine hesitancy is increasing worldwide and the World Health Organisation has declared it to be one of the 10 threats for global health in 2019. Lack of confidence in vaccines and fear of side effects seem to be the key reasons. Education may help restore confidence, and middle and high school biology teachers may have a particularly powerful role in countering vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to compare biology teachers’ opinions about vaccination with those of other teachers. Design: Cross-sectional study. Method: An electronic survey was sent to middle and high school teachers in New Caledonia. A total of 280 participants were recruited: 110 biology teachers and 170 teachers of other subjects. Attitudes about three common vaccine controversies were measured using Likert-type scales. Results were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Biology teachers showed greater confidence in their knowledge about vaccines than other teachers. In general, their opinions agreed more with scientific knowledge than those of the other teachers, despite some disparities depending on their specific sub-specialty. Highest university qualification obtained was not correlated with the opinions expressed about vaccines. Conclusion: Biology teachers may be better able to restore confidence about vaccines than other teachers. Additional training and information are needed however to allow them to transmit accurate information about vaccines to adolescents.