Parental vaccine hesitancy in Şanlıurfa province, compliance with childhood routine vaccination program, and influencing factors

İntroduction: Vaccines are recognized as one of the most important public health breakthroughs of the 20th century. Vaccines developed against infectious diseases have greatly contributed to the prevention of epidemics, the elimination of many diseases and the reduction of serious complications and deaths as a result of infectious diseases. Today, many countries report an increase in the incidence of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. The most common reason for this is refusal of immunization by parents or vaccine ambivalence. The aim of this study is to determine parents' vaccine hesitancy, compliance with the childhood routine vaccination program, and influencing factors in Şanlıurfa province. Materials and Methods:. This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2025 with participants who had children aged 0-4 years registered at Family Health Centers in Şanlıurfa province. Data will be collected using a sociodemographic data form, a vaccination status assessment form to determine knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding vaccination, and a vaccine ambivalence scale. Parametric tests (t-test) were used to analyze data that followed a normal distribution, non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U test) were used to analyze data that did not follow a normal distribution, chi-square test was used to compare categorical data, and binary logistic regression was used for advanced analysis. p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Findings: Of the 344 participants, 68.9% were female and 31.1% were male. The mean score of the vaccine ambivalence scale was found to be 14.58. 64.8% of the participants stated that they had their children vaccinated on time. When those who received and did not receive the vaccine on time were analyzed, it was found that being divorced, being a seasonal agricultural worker and having allergies in children were statistically significant. The risk of not getting the vaccine on time was found to be 3.15 times higher in seasonal agricultural workers compared to non-seasonal agricultural workers, 4.62 times higher in children with allergies compared to non-seasonal agricultural workers, and 5.83 times higher in divorced people compared to married people. Conclusion: Factors such as sociocultural level and social traditions/beliefs affect vaccine hesitancy. Those who were divorced in terms of marital status, seasonal agricultural workers and those with a history of allergy in their children were more likely to not get vaccinated on time.