Vaccination hesitation in children under five years of age: a scoping review.
Eugênio Barbosa de Melo Júnior, Priscilla Dantas Almeida, Beatriz Mourão Pereira and 3 others
PMID 38018617WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children under five delayed or refused vaccines because of misinformation, fear of adverse effects, doubts about vaccine safety and efficacy, and religious beliefs.
The review did not test an intervention.
Key findings
01Parents' reasons for vaccine hesitancy were grouped into four themes: misinformation and fake news, adverse effects, vaccine efficacy and safety, and religious beliefs.
02Misinformation and fake news were present in 15 studies, including belief in conspiracy theories, negative media, unclear information from government or health professionals, and doubts about reliable sources.
03Concern about adverse effects was present in 11 studies, including fever, allergies, autism, paralysis, seizures and death.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Most included studies were cross-sectional, so they report associations or experiences rather than treatment effects. The authors note few national studies, limiting comparison with the Brazilian vaccination context. The included studies came from 13 countries, so local vaccine schedules and health system trust may differ. The review reports themes, not whether any strategy reduces hesitancy or increases coverage.
Declared interests
No funding or conflicts of interest statement is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that any counselling message changes vaccination decisions. The paper reports parents' concerns, not a tested intervention or a change in vaccination coverage.