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. 2024 Aug 30;12(9):993.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines12090993.

Vaccine Confidence and Coverage among Medical Students at a Federal University in Brazil

Ricardo B Feijó  1   2 , Jordana V H Bertotto  2 , Amanda C Pinto  1 , Maria Eduarda T G Leal  1 , Víctor M de Souza  1 , Vitória F Sakai  1
Affiliations

Vaccine Confidence and Coverage among Medical Students at a Federal University in Brazil

Ricardo B Feijó et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Declining vaccination coverage (VC) and vaccine hesitancy among medical students are global challenges. These challenges reflect individual and logistical barriers to a sufficient adherence toward essential vaccines for healthcare professionals, as well as presenting a need for educational strategies during undergraduate training.

Methods: This is a prospective study for evaluating VC rates, sociodemographic associations, and the vaccine confidence among medical students at a federal university in Brazil. The data collection included questionnaires and individual analyses of the participants' vaccination records.

Results: A total of 237 medical students from all six years of an undergraduate program participated, of whom 124 (52.3%) had a vaccination record. Although the majority considered the vaccines to be "Completely Safe" (86.9%), the VC rates for complete vaccination schedules were relatively low, ranging from 87.9% (hepatitis B vaccine) to 3.2% (meningococcal B vaccine), including the vaccines from the National Immunization Program (NIP) and the private sector. Higher VC rates were found to occur among students in the final years of their undergraduate studies, in those from families with higher monthly incomes, and those from private secondary schools.

Conclusions: Given the low VC rates among medical students, other factors in addition to vaccine confidence may be determinants, thus highlighting the importance of reviewing policies for the inclusion of priority groups in the NIP and in implementing educational interventions during undergraduate training.

Keywords: health promotion; immunization; medical education; medical students; public health; vaccination coverage; vaccine barriers; vaccine coverage; vaccine intervention; vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of complete, incomplete, and absent vaccination schedules for each analyzed vaccine. MMR—measles, mumps, and rubella; HBV—hepatitis B; HAV—hepatitis A; HPV—human papillomavirus; dT—diphtheria and tetanus; VZV—varicella zoster virus; MenC or Men ACWY—meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenC) or meningococcal ACWY vaccine; MenB—meningococcal B vaccine; YF—yellow fever; and COVID-19—COVID-19 vaccine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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