Anti-vaccination of Turkish parents in forums: a qualitative study

Epidemics of preventable diseases are re-emerging in many parts of the world with the increasing anti-vaccine views and vaccine hesitancy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the themes and narratives shared by vaccine-hesitant and anti-vaccine parents on online platforms. A descriptive qualitative approach was used. An online search engine, Google, was used to perform a search utilizing the terms ‘anti-vaccine’ and ‘vaccine hesitancy’ between 2010 and 2021. As a result of the search, 244 posts were identified and 37 shares were included in the study as a result of the evaluation in terms of suitability. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Qualitative analysis revealed six themes: (1) mood, (2) lack of trust in the healthcare industry and scientists, (3) distrust of vaccines, (4) communication and media, (5) faith/religious approach, and (6) community health. It was determined that people who are anti-vaccine share their negative experiences and parents who are undecided about getting vaccinated also share to exchange ideas. In the messages written by the parents, they experienced fear and anxiety, and they distrusted the health sector, scientists and vaccines. They obtained anti-vaccine information mostly through social media and internet-based communication resources.