Parental vaccine acceptance and refusal among neonatal period; single center retrospective study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Vaccine hesitancy is a world-wide public health problem still persisting despite the mounting scientific evidence of the positive effects of vaccines on community health. The prevalence and causes vary based on cultural and sociological characteristics. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the situation of vaccine acceptance among parents who gave birth in our hospital. METHODS: This study is a retrospective descriptive study. The medical and vaccination records of mothers and babies born between June 2017 and June 2022 at Istanbul Medipol University Education and Research Hospital were examined. Socio-demographic data, mother's age, prenatal, natal and postnatal history, baby's gender, birth weight, vaccines and vitamin K status were recorded on the data form. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The total number of births in our hospital over a 5-year period was calculated as 15,417. The population of the study was made up of 192 (1.24%) cases, registered in epicrisis and infant birth records as vaccine refusal. The mean age of mothers was 30.72 (min: 20; max: 45) and the mean gestation week was 38.28 weeks (min: 32; max: 42; missing: 22). mean birth weight of the babies was 3008.78 grams and 56.25% of the babies were male. Considering vitamin K administration status of the cases, 61.73% (n: 121) did not accept. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases. Vaccination, one of the basic elements of preventive medicine in child health monitoring, should be carried out uninterruptedly. As a result, vaccine hesitancy rates can be reduced by partnering with each healthcare worker in solution strategies to increase vaccine acceptance. Education and awareness studies are also needed in this regard.