Parents’ beliefs and attitudes about childhood vaccination: systematic review

Karla Cholula-Cordero, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Pue., México
Erick Landeros-Olvera, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Pue., México
Karen D. Neira-Fernández, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Pue., México
Erika Lozada-Perezmitre, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Pue., México
Rosa M. Galicia-Aguilar, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Pue., México

Vaccination is an achievement that has saved millions of children from contracting infectious diseases. However, some reports show non-compliance with the vaccination schedule on the part of parents or caregivers, attributable to deficient knowledge in the area and false beliefs. The objective was to analyze studies that describe attitudes and parents’ beliefs that affect or benefit decision-making about childhood vaccination. A systematic literature review was performed. The search was carried out in eight databases, with a publication period between 2017 to 2023, in three languages. One hundred and twenty-one articles were recovered, of which 19 were selected for meeting the selection criteria. The main beliefs were: natural immunity is better, children do not get infected, vaccinating makes people sick, it is a government conspiracy, and they are vaccinated for commercial interests. The main attitudes were: procrastination, distrust of the government, indecision, indifference, and disbelief about the benefits. Some barriers were identified such as the mother’s occupation, lack of vaccines in health centers, lack of knowledge, confusing information, unverified information on social networks, unaffordable vaccination schedules, low schooling and the economy. Some narratives like “if they are not free, I will not vaccinate my child.” It was identified that the “anti-vaccine” phenomenon is not part of the Latin American ideology. It is concluded that the positive and negative attitudes and beliefs of mothers or fathers affect or benefit decision- making about childhood vaccination.

Keywords: Attitude. Culture. Parents. Vaccines. Children.