Use of Information Sources on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Pregnant Women: An Experience in Ferrara, Italy

"In this historical moment of reluctance to immunization, the quality of information sources plays a pivotal role in supporting trust in healthcare workers and health systems."

Growing vaccine hesitancy and the consequent lowering of vaccination coverage have, on one hand, pushed the Italian government to reintroduce some new compulsory vaccinations for access to schools and, on the other, have imposed greater pressure on health officials to understand the causes of suboptimal achievement of vaccine coverage targets so as to intervene with tools for promotion and health education. In this context, the present study sought to understand where and how pregnant women seek vaccine-related information, with the aim of spreading scientifically based content.

In Ferrara, Italy, the researchers administered 201 questionnaires, consisting of 63 items divided into 7 sections, to 201 pregnant women within a cross-sectional multicentre study. In particular, they wanted to investigate the correlation between the socio-demographic characteristics of the interviewees and the sources used to obtain information and, on the other side, the intention to vaccinate in relation to the perception of the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

The sources used by women to seek and obtain information about vaccinations were classified in "institutional sources" (general practitioner, gynaecologist, paediatrician, information leaflets from the Ministry of Health or the healthcare services, vaccination clinics, institutional websites, birthing classes) and "not institutional" (non-institutional websites, applications (apps) for smartphone or tablet, clinicians not working for public health service, word of mouth through relatives and friends, mass media, anti-vaccine movements).

In short, they found that institutional information sources are less frequently used by foreigners, primiparous women, and those with a low education level. Possible explanations are advanced; for example, perhaps cultural barriers make it less easy for non-Italian women to find information and entails a probable lower inclination to access to healthcare services. The perception of the severity of vaccine-preventable diseases was greater in those gathering information from institutional sources.

According to the researchers: "During pregnancy it is important to take advantage of the frequent contact the women have with health professionals to convey correct information. This assumes that health professionals must be aware of factors influencing immunization compliance. In fact, knowing the socio-demographic characteristics of future mothers and the quality of the used information channels may guide...the correct choice of communication. In the future is desirable that health authorities increase also the use of non-institutional sources to convey evidence-based information in order to reach the majority of people."