Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece
High rates of vaccination coverage in childhood represent one of the most important cost-effective tools of primary prevention and have substantially reduced the incidence of and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases globally. Vaccination coverage of young people has not been well estimated in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/10/1553 |
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| author | Elisabeth K. Andrie Evanthia Sakellari Anastasia Barbouni Artemis K. Tsitsika Areti Lagiou |
| author_facet | Elisabeth K. Andrie Evanthia Sakellari Anastasia Barbouni Artemis K. Tsitsika Areti Lagiou |
| author_sort | Elisabeth K. Andrie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | High rates of vaccination coverage in childhood represent one of the most important cost-effective tools of primary prevention and have substantially reduced the incidence of and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases globally. Vaccination coverage of young people has not been well estimated in Greece. Anonymous self-completed questionnaires and the participants’ Child Health Booklet were used to estimate complete vaccination coverage of mandatory vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases of undergraduate students at the University of West Attica during the academic year 2020–2021. Student’s t-tests were used to estimate mean values. Overall, 79% (95% CI: 78–81%) of study participants were fully vaccinated. This coverage was lower in males especially for vaccines that should be done during childhood (<i>p</i> = 0.045). High vaccination percentage (>90%) was observed for the meningococcus group A, C, W135, Y, measles-mumps-rubella, hepatitis B and meningitis C vaccine. Nevertheless, suboptimal coverage was assessed for the booster dose of tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, for the human papillomavirus vaccine among girls, for the tuberculosis, for the meningococcus group B, for the pneumococcal, and for the seasonal influenza vaccines. In conclusion, the promotion of routine vaccination programs for young adults needs to be strengthened. An identification system for under-vaccinated students, an efficient reminder system and university campus vaccine program practices should be established, particularly among males. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:27:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d6f3bf2c6be4a3c8ca79cbcc147cd3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:27:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d6f3bf2c6be4a3c8ca79cbcc147cd3c2023-11-23T23:32:50ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672022-10-01910155310.3390/children9101553Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in GreeceElisabeth K. Andrie0Evanthia Sakellari1Anastasia Barbouni2Artemis K. Tsitsika3Areti Lagiou4Department of Public and Community Health, University of West Attica (UNIWA), 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Public and Community Health, University of West Attica (UNIWA), 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Public and Community Health, University of West Attica (UNIWA), 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, GreeceMSc Program “Str. of Developmental & Adolescent Health”, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mesogeion 15-Goudi, 11527 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Public and Community Health, University of West Attica (UNIWA), 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, GreeceHigh rates of vaccination coverage in childhood represent one of the most important cost-effective tools of primary prevention and have substantially reduced the incidence of and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases globally. Vaccination coverage of young people has not been well estimated in Greece. Anonymous self-completed questionnaires and the participants’ Child Health Booklet were used to estimate complete vaccination coverage of mandatory vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases of undergraduate students at the University of West Attica during the academic year 2020–2021. Student’s t-tests were used to estimate mean values. Overall, 79% (95% CI: 78–81%) of study participants were fully vaccinated. This coverage was lower in males especially for vaccines that should be done during childhood (<i>p</i> = 0.045). High vaccination percentage (>90%) was observed for the meningococcus group A, C, W135, Y, measles-mumps-rubella, hepatitis B and meningitis C vaccine. Nevertheless, suboptimal coverage was assessed for the booster dose of tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, for the human papillomavirus vaccine among girls, for the tuberculosis, for the meningococcus group B, for the pneumococcal, and for the seasonal influenza vaccines. In conclusion, the promotion of routine vaccination programs for young adults needs to be strengthened. An identification system for under-vaccinated students, an efficient reminder system and university campus vaccine program practices should be established, particularly among males.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/10/1553immunization coveragevaccine-preventable diseasesyoung adultshealthcare services |
| spellingShingle | Elisabeth K. Andrie Evanthia Sakellari Anastasia Barbouni Artemis K. Tsitsika Areti Lagiou Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece Children immunization coverage vaccine-preventable diseases young adults healthcare services |
| title | Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece |
| title_full | Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece |
| title_fullStr | Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece |
| title_short | Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece |
| title_sort | vaccination coverage during childhood and adolescence among undergraduate health science students in greece |
| topic | immunization coverage vaccine-preventable diseases young adults healthcare services |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/10/1553 |
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