Abstract
BackgroundCurrently, as the number of vaccinated children in Poland and throughout Europe is decreasing. Many factors impact on the rate vaccination and parents’ health behaviours may affect the frequency of vaccinations. The aim of the study was to assess the association of parents’ health behaviors with children’s vaccinations.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted from July 2015 to June 2016 to assess to assess the association of parents’ health behaviors with children’s vaccinations in Białystok city, Poland. We used the the Inventory of Health Behaviours and an original questionnaire including demographic data and questions about vaccination. Three hundred parents were recruited from the Pro Medica Family Medica Center in Bialystok, Poland.ResultsOnly 3.7% of respondents did not vaccinate their children. The level of health behaviours was average in 42.3% of the respondents, low in 33%, and high in 24.7%. Significant differences in health behaviours, mainly the level of normal eating habits (p = 0.038) and positive mental attitude (p = 0.022), were found in relation to views on the toxicity of vaccines. Participants who reported that vaccines can cause autism engaged in a higher level of prophylactic behaviours. Respondents who vaccinated their children with combined vaccines had a significantly higher level of health practices.ConclusionsParents preferred health behaviours did not effect on children vaccination.Parents who believed in the toxicity of vaccines were more concerned about proper nutrition, had a positive mental attitude, and engaged in a higher level of preventive behaviours and health practices. Parents who did not vaccinate their children had lower levels of normal eating habits. Parents who vaccinated their children with combined vaccines had a higher level of health behaviours, especially in terms of health practices.
Highlights
As the number of vaccinated children in Poland and throughout Europe is decreasing
It contains 24 statements describing various types of healthrelated behaviours and enables the determination of both a general indicator of the level of health behaviours and specific indicators for the following categories of behaviours: proper nutrition, preventive behaviours, health practices, physical activity, and a positive mental attitude
In the present study, parents preferred health behaviours did not effect on children vaccination
Summary
As the number of vaccinated children in Poland and throughout Europe is decreasing. Many factors impact on the rate vaccination and parents’ health behaviours may affect the frequency of vaccinations. The aim of the study was to assess the association of parents’ health behaviors with children’s vaccinations. We believe that parents’ healthy lifestyle behaviors (healthy eating, physical activity, adequate sleep, avoiding stress, non-flammable cigarettes) can affect the frequency of childhood immunizations. We further posit that parents who care more about their health (i.e. exhibit healthy lifestyle behaviors) will be more likely to have their children vaccinated than parents who do not practice healthy lifestyle behaviors. It is well-known that childhood immunizations are important for protection against infectious diseases. The Covid pandemic has served to make people aware of the importance of protective vaccinations to limit the risk for infectious diseases that can threaten health and even life
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