13% of parents say they have not vaccinated their children – 10/24/2023 – Health

An unprecedented study shows that 13.3% of Brazilian parents say they did not vaccinate their children in immunization campaigns. But if we consider the intention of those responsible, anti-vaccines have little place in Brazil.

According to the work produced by researchers from the Solidarity Research Network at USP (University of São Paulo) and the José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation, 83% of those with children of any age say they have joined the campaigns. Among those interviewed, 4% did not want to answer or did not know the information.

Considering only parents of children and adolescents aged 14 or younger, 98% say that their children participated in all campaigns for vaccine-preventable childhood diseases. The same proportion recognizes vaccines as important and effective in protecting against infectious diseases, such as meningitis.

The research data was presented this Tuesday (24) at the 5th Child Health Forum, organized by the José Luiz Egydio Setubal Foundation and based at the Butantan Institute, in the west of São Paulo. Also participating in the study were Tatiane Moraes, researcher at the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP and member of the Covid-19 BR Observatory; Isabel Seelaender, from the Department of Political Science at USP; and Rebeca de Jesus Carvalho, researcher at FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas).

To assess Brazilians’ perception of vaccination and vaccine hesitancy (when, for various reasons, parents do not take their children to receive immunizations from the children’s calendar), 2,129 people aged 18 or over were interviewed, from all regions of the country, including July 29th and August 3rd. The interviews were carried out in person at their homes. The margin of error was 2.1 percentage points.

Using a questionnaire, respondents answered whether or not they vaccinated their children, regardless of the age of the children and adolescents, whether they adhered to the childhood calendar and Covid immunization campaigns for those aged 14 or under, and about their perception of the importance vaccination to prevent serious diseases.

In the different regions, the Central-West region had the highest adherence (89.45%), while the Southeast had the lowest rate (79.71%). There was no significant difference in relation to the gender of the study participant.

Among fathers and mothers with children aged 14 or under, who represented around 45% of the sample, the proportion of those who said they adhered to their children’s vaccination for all recommended immunizations was 95%, reaching 100% in the region North East. The Central-West region had the lowest adherence (96.14%).

The scientists also asked about the perception of risk of infectious diseases, using as a model the vaccination against meningitis, a disease that affects the brain meningeal region and can cause, in its most serious forms, consequences such as loss of vision and hearing, paralysis and death. .

According to the survey, on average, 95.3% of respondents said they fully agreed with vaccination against meningitis to avoid symptoms of the disease. This rate rises to 98.4% when also considering those who say they agree in part. Similarly, less than 1% of participants say they disagree with vaccination against the disease to prevent symptoms, whether partially or completely.

For Lorena Barberia, study researcher and professor at the Department of Political Science at USP, the survey data reveals how the Brazilian population understands the importance of vaccinating children and adolescents against meningitis.

“We use meningitis as an example to help understand the factors that contribute to parents with children accepting their children’s vaccinations,” he says.

VACCINATION IN SCHOOLS

The research also sought to understand what parents and guardians understand about vaccination against flu, HPV (human papilloma virus) and Covid-19 in schools. For this part of the questionnaire, respondents were encouraged to answer the following question: “if there was a vaccination campaign in schools, would you allow or not allow your children to be vaccinated?”.

As a result, around 89% of participants agree with their children being vaccinated against the flu in primary education institutions. In the case of HPV, part of an immunization project in schools vetoed by governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), 88% approve.

In relation to the Covid vaccine, adherence would be 83%, therefore indicating a lower perception by parents and guardians of the importance of immunization against the coronavirus in children and adolescents.