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Knowledge and Behaviours towards Immunisation Programmes: Vaccine Hesitancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Author

Listed:
  • Marco Dettori

    (Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
    University Hospital of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy)

  • Antonella Arghittu

    (University Hospital of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy)

  • Paolo Castiglia

    (Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
    University Hospital of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy)

Abstract

Assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination is a key strategy when implementing national and international immunisation programmes aimed at improving compliance among the population and thereby increasing vaccination coverage. While vaccination’s role as a powerful life-saving weapon in the fight against infectious diseases has been further highlighted following the introduction of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, there is still a discrepancy between the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of vaccines and the perception of the risk attributed to them. Known as “Vaccine Hesitancy” (VH), this phenomenon is the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of services. VH can be found in at least 15% of the worldwide population, and even professional groups tasked with promoting vaccination as a primary prevention measure, e.g., healthcare workers (HCWs), sometimes have doubts regarding vaccination. Since 2014, this Public Health problem has been increasing in 90% of countries worldwide, to the extent that in 2019 it was listed as one of the ten greatest threats to global health by the World Health Organization (WHO). VH has also affected COVID-19 vaccination, hampering the achievement of desired vaccination coverage. Monitoring this trend by studying people’s behaviour and attitudes could be a useful tool to aid Public Health, in orienting vaccination policies and designing new health education and continuous training interventions, aimed at both the general public and accountable cohorts, such as HCWs.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Dettori & Antonella Arghittu & Paolo Castiglia, 2022. "Knowledge and Behaviours towards Immunisation Programmes: Vaccine Hesitancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-6, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:4359-:d:787296
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marco Dettori & Benedetto Arru & Antonio Azara & Andrea Piana & Gavino Mariotti & Maria Veronica Camerada & Paola Stefanelli & Giovanni Rezza & Paolo Castiglia, 2018. "In the Digital Era, Is Community Outrage a Feasible Proxy Indicator of Emotional Epidemiology? The Case of Meningococcal Disease in Sardinia, Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-8, July.
    2. John M. Carey & Andrew M. Guess & Peter J. Loewen & Eric Merkley & Brendan Nyhan & Joseph B. Phillips & Jason Reifler, 2022. "The ephemeral effects of fact-checks on COVID-19 misperceptions in the United States, Great Britain and Canada," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 236-243, February.
    3. Antonella Arghittu & Marco Dettori & Emma Dempsey & Giovanna Deiana & Claudio Angelini & Angela Bechini & Caterina Bertoni & Sara Boccalini & Paolo Bonanni & Sandro Cinquetti & Fabrizio Chiesi & Maria, 2021. "Health Communication in COVID-19 Era: Experiences from the Italian VaccinarSì Network Websites," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-14, May.
    4. Paolo Castiglia & Marco Dettori, 2022. "Second Edition of Special Issue “Strategies and Evidence in Health Communication: Evidence and Perspectives”," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-4, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Dettori & Paolo Castiglia, 2022. "COVID-19 and Digital Health: Evolution, Perspectives and Opportunities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-4, July.

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