Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards vaccinations in the school settings: an explorative survey

BACKGROUND: Past researches have shown that schoolteachers’ (STs) interventions maximize the consent for vaccination programs. European data regarding knowledge, attitudes and practices of STs towards vaccination are otherwise lacking. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of STs regarding vaccinations in a sample from North Italy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross sectional study, 154 STs from Lombardy region (Northern Italy) responded to a specific questionnaire assessing their attitude towards vaccination and vaccine related knowledge. RESULTS: In general, 88.3% of subjects were somehow favourable to vaccinations. The main reason for declining vaccination was the risk of side effects whereas the main reason to be vaccinated was to avoid to be infected by VPDs (67.6%). Main information sources were health professionals (75.3%), and new media (13.1%), and the latter were STs more frequently associated with a negative attitude towards vaccinations (p < 0.001). Eventually, regression analysis identified risk perception as positively associated with propensity towards vaccinations, both for Students- and STs-recommended vaccinations (B = 0.372, 95% CI 0.247 to 0.496 and B = 0.005, 95%CI 0.004 to 0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with previous reports suggesting a significant knowledge gap in STs, with the risk perception of infectious diseases as the main predictor for vaccine propensity. Moreover, the better knowledge of official vaccination recommendations and policies among STs identifying Health Professionals as information source enlightens the role of the School Physicians and Occupational Physicians, whose intervention may ultimately increase the vaccination acceptance and vaccination rates.