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Considering that programmatic data suggest a recent rise in vaccine refusal in Croatia, this study, first of its kind in Southeast Europe, aimed to estimate the prevalence, and sociodemographic, and sociocultural determinants of childhood vaccine refusal and hesitancy (CVRH) intentions among Croatian adults. Multi-stage stratified population-based survey included 1000 individuals aged 18-88 years (M age  = 47.7, SD = 17.8), of whom 51.7% were women. The outcome, a categorical indicator, distinguished among individuals who would approve vaccinating their children (vaccine accepting), those who would approve some but not all vaccines (vaccine hesitant), and those who would refuse vaccination (vaccine refusing). A sizeable minority of participants was characterized by childhood vaccine refusal (10.6%) and hesitancy intentions (19.5%). In a multivariate assessment controlling for parenthood, the odds of vaccine hesitancy were significantly increased by a younger age (AOR = 1.96-3.03, p < .01). Religiosity (AOR = 1.12, p < .05) and the use of alternative medicine (AOR = 2.85, p < .001) increased the odds of vaccine refusal. However, individual characteristics seem to be relatively poor predictors of CVRH intentions in Croatia. Following the social contagion model, future research should move beyond individual-level approach and take into account social interaction and social network effects.

Aim: To develop leaflets that would promote and increase tissue and organ donation and to test their persuasive value., Method: The study was carried out in two parts. In Study 1, we assessed attitudes, knowledge, and intentions about tissue and organ donation of 200 randomly chosen persons from the population of the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, as well as of 108 health professionals in different hospitals in Zagreb. We also assessed the willingness of health care professionals to ask their patients whether they were willing to donate their tissue and/or organs. Dependent variables in this study were attitudes, knowledge, and intentions. On the basis of attitude and knowledge analyses, two types of tissue and organ donation promotional leaflet were developed: one intended for the community sample and the other for health professionals. The leaflets were used as independent variable. In Study 2, performed a year later, the leaflets were presented to another group of 184 persons from Zagreb population and 50 health professionals. We compared attitudes, knowledge, and intentions of community sample and health professionals presented with leaflets vs those not presented with leaflets, and assessed the persuasive power of the two types of promotional material developed., Result: The community sample presented with the leaflet in Study 2 showed significantly more positive attitudes towards organ donation when compared with the group not presented with a leaflet in Study 1 (t=2.26; p=0.025), but there was no significant improvement in attitudes towards tissue donation or intention to either donate or receive tissues and organs for transplantation. For health professionals, the Study 2 group presented with a leaflet showed a tendency toward less positive attitudes but significantly more positive intention than those in Study 1 not presented with a leaflet to donate bone marrow (t=2.39; p=0.021) and one's own organs (t=2.24; p<0.027), and to ask others about blood donation (t=2.1; p=0.037)., Conclusion: Presentation of leaflets succeeded in producing a tendency toward more positive attitudes and intentions toward tissue and organ donation. Still, a single presentation is clearly insufficient to produce significant change in all variables - attitudes, knowledge, and intentions.