Does Health Literacy Affect Vaccine Hesitation?

Background: Despite substantial and convincing evidence that vaccines save the lives of millions of children each year, vaccine hesitancy has become a growing focus of attention and concern. In 2019, the World Health Organization ranked vaccine hesitancy among threats to global health. This study was conducted to determine the effect of individuals' health literacy on vaccine hesitancy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 365 adults in Turkey. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Characteristics Form, the Health Literacy Scale, and the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. Results: The level of health literacy of the research group was good, and the level of their vaccine hesitancy was moderate. A significant negative correlation was found between health literacy and vaccine hesitancy (p≤0.05). It was determined that as the education level increased, the level of health literacy increased, and vaccine hesitancy decreased (p≤0.05). The vaccine hesitancy scores of those who had not received both adult and COVID-19 vaccines were higher than the scores of those who had (p≤0.05). Conclusion: The study's findings showed a negative correlation between health literacy and vaccine hesitancy and that the level of education positively affected both variables. Conducting studies to increase health literacy to create social awareness about vaccine hesitancy or refusal can help reduce the increasing anti-vaccination movement.