Public Attitudes and Beliefs Towards Childhood Vaccinations: Urban-Rural Differences and the Other Social Determinant of Health

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to compare vaccination attitudes and behaviors of individuals living in rural and urban areas by evaluating the social determinants of health. Methods: This research was a secondary analysis study based on two projects examining vaccination attitudes of individuals, which were conducted separately in urban and rural areas. The researches were conducted in a city center and eight rural areas located in the central Anatolia region of Turkey. In total, 1,164 individuals were studied. Multiple regression analysis (enter model) was used for determinants of public attitude toward vaccination. Results: In urban areas, the rate of awareness of discussions about vaccination and the rate of consideration that vaccination should be a parental decision were higher than in rural areas. According to the public attitude toward vaccination–HBM Scale, the sub-dimensions of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and health motivation scores of participants from rural residents were higher than those from urban residents. Regarding the sub-dimension of perceived barriers, participants from urban areas had a higher score. The social determinants of health, such as lack of health insurance, unemployment or low income, difficulty accessing health facilities, conviction that vaccination is a parental decision, moderate/poor economic perception, especially the profession, are effective in vaccine attitude. Conclusion: This study showed a difference between vaccination attitudes of individuals living in urban and rural areas.