Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about vaccination in health workers in family health centers in TWO districts of Istanbul

Introduction and Aim: The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified the determinants by assessing increasing concerns about vaccination. There are also healthcare workers (HCW) within the determinants. HCW are the most important information sources of vaccination for individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to vaccination in family physicians (FP) and family health workers (FHW) who apply childhood vaccines. Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive study conducted with FP and FHW at Fatih and Gaziosmanpaşa districts in Istanbul. The study was carried out with 379 health workers between October 2018 and January 2019. The data was collected by questionnaires under observation. Results: The mean age of the participants was 39.4 ± 9.5 years, 66.5% were female and 51.2% were FHW. 253 participants had children. 2% of the children were incomplete vaccinated or not vaccinated, 59.7% of them were vaccinated with at least one of vaccine outside the calendar. 33% of HCWs were vaccinated with the recommended seasonal influenza vaccine. 1.6% of the participants believe that vaccines cause autism, 9% of them believe that vaccines do not have side effects and 23.5% of them believe that vaccines protect only the person who was vaccinated. In knowledge questions, incorrect response rate increase with the decrease in the average age and the average working time in primary health care. In addition, vaccination information was found to be low in the groups who have children in incomplete vaccines, and participants who didn't get in-service training. 19.5% of the participants stated that children were vaccinated very early time, 28.8% were worried about serious side effects of vaccines, 14.2% said that too many vaccines could weaken the immune system of the child, 14.2% said getting the disease is better than being vaccinated, 3.2% of them believe that healthy children do not need to immunization, 15% said that the negative news about the vaccine in the media influences their thoughts, 11.9% of them believe some vaccines content aren't compatible with their religious beliefs, 9.2% of them do not believe that vaccines are better and safer as a result of researchs. In the statements containing attitudes, some hesitant responses to the vaccine were found to be high in those who didn't get in-service training. Conclusion: The vaccination knowledge of HCW should be increased and their concerns about vaccines should be addressed in more detail. For health professionals, there is a need for training on immunization before and after graduation. Keywords: Healthcare worker, vaccine, knowledge, attitude, behavior, primary care