Attitudes toward vaccines and their relationship with health literacy among İnönü University students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37609/srinmed.73Anahtar Kelimeler:
Health literacy- universities- vaccinationÖz
Aim: This study aimed to determine attitudes toward vaccination among university students and to examine the relationship between these attitudes and health literacy levels.
Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of students at İnönü University. The minimum sample size was calculated as 295 using PASS 11 software. Data were collected between November and December 2017 using faculty-based cluster sampling and a 47-item questionnaire. The questionnaire included items on sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes toward vaccination, and the Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS-32). Data were analyzed statistically, and p<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: A total of 335 students participated in the study (55.1% female; mean age: 21.80±3.06 years). Among the participants, 75.1% considered vaccines effective, and 67.5% identified health authorities as their primary source of vaccine-related information. The mean THLS-32 score was 32.60±9.61. Health literacy level was significantly associated with faculty group (p=0.001) and number of siblings (p=0.037), whereas no significant association was observed with gender (p=0.127) or income level (p=0.837). Health literacy was also significantly associated with several vaccine-related attitudes and beliefs, including media influence, tetanus vaccination, information sources, and thiomersal-related concerns (all p<0.05).
Conclusion: Although attitudes toward vaccination among university students were generally positive, media-related information had the potential to influence vaccination attitudes. Higher health literacy was associated with greater resistance to inaccurate information. Health literacy interventions may contribute to more favorable attitudes toward vaccination.
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