Vaccine knowledge in students in Paris, France, and surrounding regions

What College Biology Students Know about How Vaccines Work

Vaccines are an important and societally relevant biology topic, but it is unclear how much college biology students know about how vaccines work and what inaccurate ideas they have about that process. Therefore, we asked more than 600 college students taking biology courses at various levels to explain, "How does a vaccine work?" in a free-response format. Based on authoritative sources and responses from immunology and other biology faculty, we created a rubric to gauge the basic knowledge and accuracy present in student responses. Basic knowledge was defined as knowing that vaccines mimic the pathogen, elicit an active immune response, and provide protection against future infection. Accuracy was defined as the absence of scientifically inaccurate ideas. We found that advanced biology majors score significantly higher in basic knowledge and accuracy when compared with all other student groups, but there were no differences between entering biology majors, pre-health majors, and non-pre-health majors. We also uncovered a variety of inaccurate ideas, with the most common being that vaccines contain the original, unmodified pathogen. These results provide a new way to gauge college student understanding of how a vaccine works and enrich our understanding of what college students know about this process.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Sources of Information on Vaccines in Spanish Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Health professionals are the most influential and main sources of information about vaccines for the general population, as they are regarded as role models by patients and society. The objective of the present study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of a group of university Nursing students about vaccines, as well as their sources of information and their education needs. A cross-sectional study was performed through a questionnaire (55 items) provided to Nursing students at two Spanish universities. A total of 1122 students participated in the study. The mean score obtained for knowledge about vaccines was 44.6 ± 4.3, and for attitudes towards vaccines, it was 37.2 ± 3.9. Hepatitis B (94.7%) and the Flu (89%) are the two main vaccines they should receive as health workers. The main source of information was the family environment (65.6%). Most of them considered that post-graduate education about vaccines should be provided by academic entities (universities, 62.7%). Among the health professionals, Nurses (85.5%) must be better educated and trained on the subject of vaccines. It is therefore necessary to delve into and complete the nurses’ training on vaccines, to educate them about the risks at the individual level, and their decisive role as promoters of the vaccination strategy for the general population. Universities must become the leaders in vaccine education and training.

Awareness, Knowledge, and Coverage of Vaccination Against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Among Medical Students of Karachi: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Background Along with reducing the global burden of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, the DPT3 (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus) vaccine protects health care professionals (HCPs) as well as vulnerable patients in their care. This study evaluates awareness, knowledge and coverage of DPT3 vaccine and boosters among medical students of public university in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods A cross-sectional study consisting of 281 participants selected through convenience sampling was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 using a self-administered questionnaire. Results While 93% participants received childhood doses of DPT3, only 39.2% received adult boosters. Students with positive immunization history in childhood and family vaccination routines were more likely to get adult boosters. Eighty-six percent of the students were unaware that their university had a recommended vaccination program as a part of the admission process. The assessment of awareness and knowledge revealed that only 10.5% individuals could be regarded as well-aware, 20.3% (n = 58) students as unaware, and 69.2% (n = 198) participants as moderately aware. Conclusion The level of awareness, knowledge and coverage of DPT3 vaccine is insufficient among medical students of a public university of Karachi; universities are recommended to take measures to enhance knowledge and ensure strict adherence of students to appropriate vaccination programs.

Vaccination among Polish university students. Knowledge, beliefs and anti-vaccination attitudes

Anti-vaccination movement has existed as long as the vaccines themselves, but its mode of action and social influences evolved over time. Such attitude with no doubt has negative impact on vaccination rates and eradication of infectious diseases. In this study, we used an online survey to examine vaccination attitudes of Polish university students of various degree and specialties. A total of 1,386 questionnaires were completed, among them 617 from students attending medical schools and 769 from students of non-medical schools. Up to 95.24% (N = 1320) of the study subjects, among them 98.70% and 92.46% of students of medical and non-medical specialties, respectively, declared willingness to vaccinate their children. 47.19% (N = 654) of participants have a contact with anti-vaccination propaganda at least once in a lifetimes. 42.64% (N = 591) of respondents were aware of the existence of anti-vaccination movements; 45.35% (N = 414) of participants, including 306 (51.52%) and 108 (33.86%) students of medical and non-medical disciplines, respectively, considered such movements as a negative phenomenon. Vaccination attitudes of students from medical and non-medical universities differed considerably. Vaccination knowledge and awareness among the students from non-medical universities were rather poor, markedly lower than in the students of medical disciplines. Nevertheless, irrespective of their major, Polish students have considerable knowledge gaps with regards to vaccination and need additional education in this matter.