Changing Parental Attitudes Towards Rotavirus Vaccine

Background: Rotavirus is known to be one of the most common infections, usually associated with severe diarrhea. Despite the existence of two licensed vaccines, many countries, including Turkey, have not included rotavirus vaccination in their nationally funded vaccination program. This article explores what factors influence parents' decisions about whether to have their children vaccinated against rotavirus and which factors changed from 2010 through 2016. Materials and Methods: Data were collected over two periods via questionnaires. The first period was from January 2009 through March 2010, and data were gathered from a semi-private pediatric outpatient clinic in Kocaeli, Turkey. The second period was from August 2015 through May 2016, and data were collected from parents during their pediatric outpatient clinic visits. Two questionnaires were designed to find out the rotavirus vaccination status of the children, socio-demographic factors, and reasons for excluding/accepting the rotavirus vaccine. The level of knowledge about the rotavirus vaccine was investigated. Parents indicated their level of agreement with each statement using a five-point Likert scale. Results: While only 3.8% of the parents accepted the rotavirus in 2009-2010, it increased to 69.5% in 2015-2016. Significant factors influencing parents’ decision to vaccinate their children for rotavirus were advice from a pediatrician, a lack of correct and timely rotavirus information, and the cost of the vaccine. Conclusions: The acceptance of the rotavirus vaccine depends on parental perceptions, which may be influenced by accurate and timely information, the advice of their healthcare provider, and inclusion in the nationally funded vaccination program. In contrast to other studies reported, the education level of the mothers and fathers and their job types appear to be important. It was also found that parents’ attitudes and perceptions changed over time.