Experience with Parental Vaccination Refusal and Attitudes about Vaccinations of Pediatricians in Greece
H. C. Maltezou, D. Gkentzi, I. Grivea, N. Chaliasos, E. Galanakis, A. Pavli, P. Katerelos, G. Syrogiannopoulos, E. Roilides, M. Theodoridou
Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research · pp. 971–977 · Published 22 Oct 2014
10.9734/BJMMR/2015/13493Abstract
Aim: To study the experience of Greek pediatricians with parents who refuse their children's vaccination and their attitudes towards vaccinations. Study Design: Nation-wide questionnaire-based survey conducted from February through May 2013. Methodology: We included 211 pediatricians. Results: A total of 190 (90%) pediatricians reported that they had encountered at least one case of parental vaccination refusal in the past. During 2012, the pediatricians faced a mean of 10.5 cases of vaccination refusals / 1000 vaccinations. The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was the most frequently refused vaccine, followed by the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. "Fear of adverse effects" was the most frequent reason of vaccination refusal (83.8%) followed by "Use of alternative medicine" (46.4%) and "Anti-vaccination belief against all vaccines" (45.3%). Internet was the most frequent source of information for parents who refused vaccination. Of 201 pediatricians, 135 (67.2%) stated that "Childhood vaccinations should be mandatory for primary-school entry", while 28 (13.9%) stated that "Parents have the right to refuse their children's vaccinations". Lastly, 130 (61.6%) pediatricians stated that they had concerns about vaccines, mainly about their costs (46.2%). Conclusion: Refusal of vaccinations by parents is not frequent in Greece and concerns mainly the HPV and the MMR vaccines. Pediatricians should improve their ability to deal with this issue.
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