Public Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Adults' Vaccination for Seasonal Flu

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccination is one of the greatest achievements in the protection against infectious diseases and the
promotion of public health. However, the vaccination coverage of adults is not considered satisfactory. Individuals'
knowledge and beliefs about the necessity, effectiveness and safety of vaccination play a crucial role in developing
their overall attitude and is a strong predictor of their vaccination behavior. Aim: To investigate the knowledge, beliefs
and attitudes of the general population towards adult vaccination for seasonal influenza. Material and Method:
A review of relevant literature was performed in the Medline/Pubmed and Google Scholar electronic databases, as
well as in the reference lists of the identified studies. The index words used were: seasonal flu, vaccination, knowledge,
attitudes, beliefs, general population. Suitable for inclusion were the studies with quantitative and/or qualitative design, those that were written in English or Greek and those that were published after 2015. Results: From the review
of the literature, 22 studies emerged. Of these, four focused on high-risk individuals (pregnant women, rheumatoid
arthritis patients, dialysis patients). Participants' knowledge of influenza virus and influenza vaccination ranged from
6.5% to 79%. The perceived efficacy of the vaccine ranged from 36.7% to 94.2%. The perceived safety of the flu vaccine was found between 43.4% and 95.8%. The presence of distorted beliefs across the range of parameters related to
influenza virus infection and influenza vaccination was also obvious. Conclusion: Assessing the level of knowledge,
beliefs and attitudes of the general population is one of the most important strategies for predicting adult vaccination
intent and one of the most important keys to developing targeted interventions to increase vaccination coverage and
treatment of seasonal flu.