Parents' or legal guardians' beliefs and attitudes about childhood vaccination: a scoping review.
Mariana Mesquita de Oliveira Lima, Aline Oliveira Silveira, Ana Paula Sarmento Charão Aureliano and 3 others
PMID 39258615WHAT IT FOUND
Parents’ trust in healthcare professionals and clear communication were the strongest factors driving childhood vaccination, outweighing knowledge alone.
Negative interactions, hostility, or lack of time from clinicians significantly increased hesitancy and refusal, regardless of parental education level.
Key findings
01Adequate knowledge and positive interaction with healthcare professionals were the most cited motivators for vaccination, with trust in the professional being central to family confidence.
02Parents who felt unwelcomed, pressured, or poorly informed by professionals tended to rely on personal or religious beliefs that hindered vaccination, even if they had high levels of education.
03Subjective feelings of being sufficiently informed predicted vaccination intention better than objective knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The search was restricted to English and Portuguese, potentially missing relevant evidence from other regions. Gray literature was excluded, which may introduce publication bias. Studies focusing exclusively on rural populations, migrants, or specific religious groups were excluded, limiting generalizability to these communities. The review included literature reviews and primary studies, which may lead to some overlap in evidence. Methodological quality varied, with transferability, sampling, and ethics noted as common limitations in the included studies.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that providing more factual information or correcting misconceptions alone will resolve vaccine hesitancy. The review indicates that parents’ subjective feelings of being informed and their trust in the healthcare professional are stronger predictors of vaccination intention than their objective knowledge level. A clinical interaction that feels rushed, hostile, or dismissive can increase hesitancy even in highly educated parents.