Why is the Meningococcal Vaccine not Being Administered?: Mothers' Opinions

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate mothers' knowledge and attitudes about the meningococcal vaccine and to determine the reasons for not applying this vaccine. Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study was conducted between 01 August and 30 October 2018. Mothers who had children between 3-59 months were included in this study. Thirteen questions were asked about the sociodemographic characteristics of participants, their knowledge and attitudes about the meningococcal vaccine. Results: This study included 426 mothers. The mean age of mothers was 31.4±5.5 (19-48) years and children were 18.5±13.4 (3-59) months. 59.4% of mothers knew that the meningitis vaccine protects brain membrane from inflammation. 232 (54.5%) of the children were recommended meningococcal vaccination. The rate of meningococcal vaccine application was 24.9% (n: 106). The findings obtained in this study showed that maternal education level (p