Knowledge about vaccination in Croatian high school population

Abstract Background Knowledge about vaccination is one of the key determinants of vaccination uptake and it is shaped by different information sources. Future of the vaccination coverage depends on vaccination knowledge and uptake in young generations. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge about vaccination and information sources of this knowledge among Croatian high school students. Methods This online cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted during the January 2021 to April 2021 in convenient sample of high school students from north-western part of Croatia. Results The study sample consisted of 1012 subjects (29.2% males and 70.8% females). The median age of all subjects was 17.0 (interquartile range (IQR) 17.0 - 18.0) years. According to the knowledge there were 29.5% of students with poor, 53.9% of students with average and 16.6% of students with good knowledge about vaccination. Male students more frequently had poor knowledge about vaccination (P = 0.028). Information source of knowledge about vaccination in study population were internet (39.2%), family and friends (35.2%) and formal education (25.6%). Students who displayed poor knowledge about vaccination more frequently stated internet as dominant source of knowledge about vaccination while students who displayed good knowledge about vaccination more frequently stated formal education as dominant source (P = 0.002). Conclusions The study showed that large proportion of Croatian high school students has poor knowledge about vaccination. Furthermore, study revealed that internet was dominant source of information regarding vaccination in study population. Additional education is needed to improve observed situation regarding vaccination knowledge and its sources among Croatian high school students. Key messages Improvement of general knowledge regarding vaccination in younger population subgroups is necessary precondition for insuring adequate vaccination coverage in future. Enhancement of the formal education about vaccination in younger population subgroups is crucial element of successful vaccination programs.