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Background: The knowledge, beliefs, opinions, and attitudes of patients and their relatives regarding seasonal influenza vaccination were evaluated., Methods: This descriptive study was undertaken in the outpatient clinics of Baskent University Hospital. There were 566 responders who completed a self-administered questionnaire., Results: The mean age of participants was 48.35 years, and 16.8% were ≥65 years. Of the responders, 21.7% were vaccinated this year, whereas 57.8% did not desire to get it. Vaccination rates were significantly higher among responders ≥65 years of age (56.4%), those having at least 1 chronic illness (46.5%), and those who were vaccinated regularly every year (22.2%). Half of the responders did not know that the vaccine was reimbursed for people at risk. The most common reason for refusing the influenza vaccine was not getting the flu frequently (51.2%). Fear of side effects, concerns about vaccine's effectiveness, and belief that vaccine causes the flu were other common reasons for not being vaccinated. Of the responders, 77% believed that getting official information or a recommendation from a physician would influence their decision about seasonal influenza vaccination., Conclusions: People who are at risk or vaccinated regularly display a higher vaccine uptake and better knowledge of influenza and vaccination. The opinions and attitudes of this study population may assist in developing strategies for changing attitudes of the public toward influenza vaccination., (Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccination, the level of COVID-19 fear, and associated factors among university students. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study participated by university students from Maltepe University, Türkiye, between September 23 and November 26, 2021. An online questionnaire form was used in the study due to the pandemic. The questionnaire included sociodemographic and related COVID-19 characteristics and the fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S). Results: A total of 3216 university students, 2276 (70.8%) female, participated in this study. Three thousand ninety-two (96.1%) were vaccinated against COVID-19. The FCV-19S scores of those vaccinated against COVID-19 were 18.0±7.2, while the FVS scores of those who were not vaccinated were 15.7±8.3 (p=0.001). When the factors affecting vaccination with COVID-19 were evaluated by regression analysis, it was determined that the history of COVID-19 infection (OR=1.837, 95% CI=1.173-2.876, and p=0.008), FCV-19S (OR=1.041, 95% CI=1.014-1.070, and p=0.003), and recommending the COVID-19 vaccine to others (OR=24.585, 95% CI=15.658--38.602, and p<0.001) had an effect on vaccination. Conclusion: This study revealed that the overall vaccination frequency among university students is >96%, with different hesitancy frequency among university departments. Medical and health science students have the lowest frequency of vaccine hesitancy and lowest fear levels, suggesting that they know the COVID-19 process, and its consequences, and have accurate information about vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Patients with chronic heart disease (CHD) have been defined in many guidelines as one of the priority groups for influenza vaccination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate influenza vaccination rates and related factors in patients with CHD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was conducted between May and August 2019. The questionnaire investigated socio-demographic characteristics, vaccination status in the 2018-19 influenza season, whether the influenza vaccine had been recommended, and vaccine acceptance or refusal reasons. Results: Of the 389 CHD patients participating in the study, 62.21% were male, and 45.24% were aged ≥65. The influenza vaccine uptake rate was 11.31%. Advanced age, vaccination recommendation by a physician, family members living with CHD patients having been previously vaccinated, emergency hospitalization for heart disease or respiratory disease, and knowing that the influenza vaccine was free of charge were factors that increased vaccination acceptance. Conclusion: The influenza vaccination rate among the CHD patients in this study was well below the expected level. The influenza vaccine not being recommended or not sufficiently encouraged, especially by physicians or other healthcare workers, seems to represent the greatest obstacle to influenza vaccination among CHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]