Parental attitudes and varicella vaccine in Kocaeli, Turkey

Objective: To explore what factors influence Turkish parents' decision whether to have their children immunised or not and compare them with other internationally published studies. Method: Data from 300 parents were gathered via a survey completed by the parents during their policlinic visit between January 2009 and March 2010 in Kocaeli, Turkey. The survey content was based on 10 Health Belief Model, each question being based on a 5-point Likert scale together with additional 19 questions in order to discover other demographic factors. Results: One of the differences in our study when compared to other published studies is mothers'' jobs as employed mothers were significantly willing to have their children vaccinated whereas studies elsewhere have generally shown that demographic background variables do not affect parents'' perceptions. The parents who took part in this study were not overly concerned about the side effects in contrast to other published studies. Another major finding is the positive influence of parents being informed by a consultant paediatrician rather than their family general practitioner. Conclusions: The acceptance of varicella vaccine depends on a complex interaction of factors but parents'' perceptions may change dramatically by being well informed as well as having financial support from the government. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]