ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND INFORMATIONAL FACTORS ON PARENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD CHILDHOOD VACCINATION
Keywords:
prevention of infectious diseases; childhood vaccination; parents; awareness.Abstract
Purpose: To assess the impact of social and informational factors on parents’ level of awareness and commit- ment to childhood vaccination. Materials and Methods: Bibliosemantic, sociological, analytical, and statistical methods were employed. A sur- vey was conducted among residents of Ternopil with children of various ages using a custom-designed questionnaire. The study evaluated levels of vaccine advocacy, factors influencing these levels, and the information sources most frequently used by parents. Results: The survey revealed a predominantly positive attitude toward childhood immunization. The most sig- nificant motivation for parents when making vaccination decisions is protecting their child from dangerous infec- tious diseases (87% of respondents). 83% of respondents recognize the importance of all vaccinations included in the national immunization schedule. Although the majority of parents decide to vaccinate without hesitation, one in three still experienced certain fears or had even refused vaccinations. Among the reasons for concern, 70.4% cited potential side effects, and 37% were worried about inadequate vaccine quality. 89% of respondents consult the opinions of other parents before their child’s vaccination, confirming a strong social influence on the decision- making process. 94.4% of parents receive information about vaccination from doctors. The Internet ranks second at 32.5%. Only 61% of citizens fully rely on medical professionals for vaccine information, while 50% consider the official websites of the Ministry of Health and the WHO to be the most reliable sources. 30% of respondents believe there is a lack of information campaigns regarding vaccination. Conclusion: The conducted sociological survey demonstrated a generally high level of support for childhood vaccination among parents and a positive attitude toward immunization as a key tool for infectious disease preven- tion within the public health system. The results indicate a need to improve information campaigns by ensuring they are accessible, clear, and focused on addressing parents’ primary concerns – specifically side effects and vaccine quality. Furthermore, it is essential to strengthen the communicative role of medical professionals by standardizing parental consultations and increasing awareness regarding vaccine safety and efficacy.
References
Reluga T. C., Smith R. A., Hughes D. P. Dynamic and game theory of infectious disease stigmas. Journal of theoretical biology, 2019. No 476. Р. 95–107.
Smith K. M., Machalaba C. C., Seifman R., Feferholtz Y., Karesh W.B. Infectious disease and economics: the case for considering multi-sectoral impacts. One Health, 2019. No 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2018.100080.
Bloom D. E., Cadarette D. Infectious disease threats in the twenty-first century: strengthening the global response. Frontiers in immunology, 2019. No 10. P. 549.
Ryu S., Chun J. Y., Lee S. et al. Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of infectious diseases and control measures. Viruses, 2022. No 14(11). DOI: 10.3390/v14112510
Шагінян В. Р., Фільчаков І. В. Сучасний стан системи епідеміологічного нагляду за інфекційними хворобами в Україні. Превентивна медицина. Теорія і практика, 2024. № 3. С. 7.
Rodrigues C. M., Plotkin S. A. Impact of vaccines; health, economic and social perspectives. Frontiers in microbiology, 2020. Vol. 11. 1526.
Melese M., Wolde F., Sori T., Girma S. Role of Understanding the Chain of Infection for Effective Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. Austin J Public Health Epidemiol., 2025. No 12 (2). DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01526.
Montero D. A., Vidal R. M., Velasco J. et al. Two centuries of vaccination: historical and conceptual approach and future perspectives. Frontiers in public health, 2024. No 11. DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1326154.
World Health Organization. World Health Organization: 10 facts on immunization; 2018. [дата звернення: 22.12.2025]. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/features/factfiles/immunization/en/.
Nandi A., Shet A. Why vaccines matter: understanding the broader health, economic, and child development benefits of routine vaccination. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 2020. No 16(8). Р. 1900–1904.
Shattock A. J., Johnson H. C., Sim S. Y., et al. Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The Lancet, 2024. Volume 403, Issue 10441. Р. 2307–2316.
Друцул-Мельник Н.В., Іванова Л.А., Колоскова О.К., Гарас М.Н. До питання імунопрофілактики інфекційних хвороб у дітей в період пандемії СОVID-19. Вісник медичних і біологічних досліджень, 2022. № 2. С. 24.
Маркович І.Г., Маркович І.Ф. Інфекційна захворюваність як індикатор санітарного та епідеміологічного благополуччя населення. Інфекційні хвороби, 2025. № 4. С. 46–55.
Боярчук О.Р., Міщанчук В.А. Оцінка факторів впливу на ставлення батьків до імунопрофілактики. Modern Pediatrics. Ukraine, 2020. № 5(109). С. 19–23.
Пугач А.М., Бондаренко А.В. Обізнаність майбутніх батьків щодо вакцинації. Сучасна педiатрiя. Україна, 2023. № 5(133). С. 85–89.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
1. The authors reserve the right to authorship of the work and pass the journal right of first publication of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows others to freely distribute the work published with reference to the authors of the original work and the first publication of this magazine.
2. Authors are entitled to enter into a separate agreement on additional non-exclusive distribution of work in the form in which it was published in the magazine (eg work place in the electronic repository institution or publish monographs in part), provided that the reference to the first publication of this magazine.
3. Policy magazine allows and encourages authors placement on the Internet (eg, in storage facilities or on personal websites) manuscript of how to submit the manuscript to the editor and during his editorial processing, since it contributes to productive scientific discussion and positive impact on the efficiency and dynamics of citing published work (see. The Effect of Open Access).
