Knowledge and Attitudes toward Vaccination in Croatian Adolescents, the Influence of the Internet

Objective − The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward vaccination among Croatian high school students and to investigate influence of internet and social networks on the reported knowledge and attitudes.Materials and Methods − A convenient sample of 1012 adolescents aged 17 to 19 years was included in the study. Data regarding sociodemographic factors, habits of informing oneself regarding the health status, vaccination and vaccines and knowledge of and attitudes toward vaccination were collected.Results − The study showed that Croatian adolescents most often obtained information regarding vaccination from the internet, although they reported health professionals to be the most reliable source. Adolescents reported poor knowledge about vaccination. Better knowledge was reported by adolescents who inform themselves about vaccination through scientific literature or school teachers than those who use the internet and social contacts. Results showed that the negative attitude toward vaccination was associated with the internet as the source of information, female gender and poor knowledge about vaccination.Conclusion − Adolescent mostly get information about vaccination on the internet as the easiest accessible source. Efforts should be made to make relevant sources of information more available to adolescents since good knowledge correlates with positive attitude toward vaccination.