Vaccination Knowledge and Attitudes of Albanian Mothers

Abstract

This study evaluates the knowledge and attitudes of mothers regarding the immunization in a random sample of 100 children from Tirana, Durrës, Pogradec and Korçë, Albania. The questionnaire collected data on person answering the questionnaire, parent's educational and occupational status, parental knowledge on vaccines and vaccination and type of vaccine administration. The questions about attitudes on the utility of vaccinations were scored on a 5-point Likert scale with options ranging from ʺ1ʺ) to ʺ5ʺ). The behavior responses and the questions concerning mothers’ responsibility on taking decisions regarding vaccination were in ʺyes/noʺ format and only two questions were open ones. Almost all the children were vaccinated with all the three doses of DTP and hepatitis B. In the meantime, for the optional vaccines, such as Influenza, HPV, only 2% of respondents stated that their children had been vaccinated. The results showed that the attitudes toward the utility of vaccinations for preventing infectious diseases were favorable. Most of the respondents felt extremely confident in receiving honest and complete information about vaccination from doctors/ pediatricians but also from the experience of other parents. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of parental knowledge of vaccines and vaccination in Albania.