Factors Affecting the Immunization Approaches of Caregivers: An Example of a Teaching and Research Hospital

Objective: Immunization programs prevent diseases that could result in fatal or permanent disabilities in the field of health. Although technical facilities and healthcare personnel are the most important criteria in vaccination programs, the adaptation of caregivers to vaccination programs has increasingly become an important issue. In our study, it was aimed to determine the factors affecting the vaccination approaches of the caregivers and the level of knowledge regarding vaccine names. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, parents who applied to the pediatric outpatient clinic of our hospital for any reason during a six-month period were evaluated for their knowledge on and attitudes towards vaccines. In the questionnaire, demographic char-acteristics of families, income and education levels, number of children and presence of vaccination record cards of the children were sought with the face-to-face interview technique. In the survey, the names of routine vaccines made by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey and vaccines recommended in childhood were presented mixed, and they were asked to indicate the vaccines they knew. Results: In the study, 302 questionnaires were included. Of the parents who participated, 268 were mothers. Majority of the cases (254, 84.1%) were found to have a vaccination record card. Having an only child was found to have a positive impact on the presence of a vaccination record card, regular immunization, knowledge on vaccines and immunization with the vaccines recommended in childhood. 84.1% (254) of the parents found vaccination necessary. Parents were most aware of measles vaccines not routinely performed. It was observed that as the level of education of the mother increased, the rate of being aware of vaccines and gettingthem increased. Conclusion: In our study, it was concluded that having many children and the income and educationlevel of the caregiverseffect immunization. It was seen that caregivers prefer health centers for information on immunization and vaccines, and therefore it is important to give more information regarding immunization in health institutions. It is concluded that the adaptation of caregivers to extended immunization programs can be achieved by increasing their knowledge about vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases.