Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy
Background: Healthcare students that refuse to get vaccinated may expose themselves and their patients to several vaccine-preventable diseases, especially during outbreaks or at peak epidemic activity, becoming a threat to themselves and their patients. This study aimed to assess their attitudes tow...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/8/1288 |
| _version_ | 1797407603032064000 |
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| author | Angela Bechini Alfredo Vannacci Giada Crescioli Niccolò Lombardi Marco Del Riccio Giuseppe Albora Jonida Shtylla Marco Masoni Maria Renza Guelfi Paolo Bonanni Sara Boccalini |
| author_facet | Angela Bechini Alfredo Vannacci Giada Crescioli Niccolò Lombardi Marco Del Riccio Giuseppe Albora Jonida Shtylla Marco Masoni Maria Renza Guelfi Paolo Bonanni Sara Boccalini |
| author_sort | Angela Bechini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Healthcare students that refuse to get vaccinated may expose themselves and their patients to several vaccine-preventable diseases, especially during outbreaks or at peak epidemic activity, becoming a threat to themselves and their patients. This study aimed to assess their attitudes towards and perception of vaccines and vaccination. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was shared with medical students, pharmacy students and medical residents in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the University of Florence (Italy), in February 2021. The questionnaire contained 39 questions with open, multi-choice, yes–no, Likert scale answers. A Vaccine Hesitancy Index (VHI) was then calculated. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: A total of 473 students participated in this study. All students were in favour of vaccination (99.2%) but a relatively low number of participants judged their level of knowledge about vaccinations as “good” (21.8%) or “excellent” (0.6%). About half of students declared that they are not adequately trained during their academic courses. The VHI showed low levels of vaccine hesitancy (mean ± SD 0.38 ± 0.16); moreover, the students were willing to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 when recommended (88.2%) and thought that these vaccines are generally safe. Few students considered the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (13.1%) and the procedures for evaluating clinical trials for marketing authorisation of these vaccines (12.9%) too fast to guarantee their efficacy and safety. Conclusions: Since vaccination and vaccine hesitancy and acceptance topics are being paid increasing attention by the population, new strategies to increase future healthcare professionals’ willingness to promote vaccination and get vaccinated, as well as knowledge on vaccines and vaccination, will be of the utmost importance to fight vaccine preventable diseases. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:43:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ee891f61289c4cfbb18f1027b4857545 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:43:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-ee891f61289c4cfbb18f1027b48575452023-12-03T14:37:28ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-08-01108128810.3390/vaccines10081288Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in ItalyAngela Bechini0Alfredo Vannacci1Giada Crescioli2Niccolò Lombardi3Marco Del Riccio4Giuseppe Albora5Jonida Shtylla6Marco Masoni7Maria Renza Guelfi8Paolo Bonanni9Sara Boccalini10Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyMedical School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyMedical School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalySIAF—Digital Learning and IT Training Process Unit, Area for the Innovation and Management of Information and Computer Systems, University of Florence, 50141 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyBackground: Healthcare students that refuse to get vaccinated may expose themselves and their patients to several vaccine-preventable diseases, especially during outbreaks or at peak epidemic activity, becoming a threat to themselves and their patients. This study aimed to assess their attitudes towards and perception of vaccines and vaccination. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was shared with medical students, pharmacy students and medical residents in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the University of Florence (Italy), in February 2021. The questionnaire contained 39 questions with open, multi-choice, yes–no, Likert scale answers. A Vaccine Hesitancy Index (VHI) was then calculated. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: A total of 473 students participated in this study. All students were in favour of vaccination (99.2%) but a relatively low number of participants judged their level of knowledge about vaccinations as “good” (21.8%) or “excellent” (0.6%). About half of students declared that they are not adequately trained during their academic courses. The VHI showed low levels of vaccine hesitancy (mean ± SD 0.38 ± 0.16); moreover, the students were willing to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 when recommended (88.2%) and thought that these vaccines are generally safe. Few students considered the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (13.1%) and the procedures for evaluating clinical trials for marketing authorisation of these vaccines (12.9%) too fast to guarantee their efficacy and safety. Conclusions: Since vaccination and vaccine hesitancy and acceptance topics are being paid increasing attention by the population, new strategies to increase future healthcare professionals’ willingness to promote vaccination and get vaccinated, as well as knowledge on vaccines and vaccination, will be of the utmost importance to fight vaccine preventable diseases.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/8/1288vaccine hesitancybehaviouracceptancestudentsmedical doctorspharmacists |
| spellingShingle | Angela Bechini Alfredo Vannacci Giada Crescioli Niccolò Lombardi Marco Del Riccio Giuseppe Albora Jonida Shtylla Marco Masoni Maria Renza Guelfi Paolo Bonanni Sara Boccalini Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy Vaccines vaccine hesitancy behaviour acceptance students medical doctors pharmacists |
| title | Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy |
| title_full | Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy |
| title_fullStr | Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy |
| title_short | Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students in Healthcare Settings towards Vaccines and Vaccinations Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Italy |
| title_sort | attitudes and perceptions of university students in healthcare settings towards vaccines and vaccinations strategies during the covid 19 pandemic period in italy |
| topic | vaccine hesitancy behaviour acceptance students medical doctors pharmacists |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/8/1288 |
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