Assessing Attitudes towards Vaccination: Demographic Influences among Parents of Preschool-Aged Children

Introduction: The attitudes towards vaccination of parents with preschool-aged children hold great significance for public health due to their critical impact on child health. Aim: This study aimed to determine the attitudes towards vaccination of parents with preschool-aged children and the key demographic factors influencing these attitudes. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted with 223 parents reached through snowball sampling between March-May 2022. Data were collected using an Introductory Information Form and the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale. Analysis included Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and regression analyses. Results: Parents exhibited a moderately high negative attitude towards childhood vaccinations (2.94 ± 0.99) and a high number of worries over unforeseen future effects (3.80 ± 1.31). Parents who believed that vaccines are unnecessary, lacked sufficient information, were concerned about side effects, and did not adhere to mandatory vaccinations had significantly more negative attitudes towards childhood vaccinations (p < 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that these factors accounted for a moderate level of explanatory power (36 %) in the vaccination attitude scores (F = 24.7; p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that parents' attitudes toward childhood vaccinations are influenced by factors such as neglecting mandatory vaccines, believing they are unnecessary, lacking information, and concerns about side effects. The presence of moderately negative attitudes among parents highlighted that negative attitudes towards vaccination remain a concern. Pediatric nurses must identify parents' vaccination attitudes to maintain vaccination rates and develop programs that reduce negative perceptions. These efforts are key to improving and sustaining child health by boosting overall vaccine acceptance.