Vaccine hesitancy in the school community and among health personnel

A cross-sectional study

Bibliographic Data

ID15368169
AuthorsLely Stella Guzman-Barrera (Universidad El Bosque), Jaime García (0000-0001-5718-1605, University of Technology Sydney), Francieli Fontana Sutile Tardetti Fantinato, Francieli F S Fantinato (0000-0002-0110-2266, Pan American Health Organization (Brasil)), Eduardo Campos Prosdocimi (0009-0007-4245-4069, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais), Carolina Santiago-Vieira (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), Eliane De Freitas Drumond (0000-0003-2159-4250, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais), Fernanda Cristina da Silva Lopes Ferreira, Suelen Rosa De Oliveira (0000-0002-7330-6102, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais), Guilherme Augusto Veloso (0000-0002-5348-3793, Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), Melissa Palmieri (0000-0001-6450-0598, Secretaria Municipal de Saúde), Carlos Leonardo Figueiredo Cunha (0000-0002-1891-4201, Universidade Federal do Maranhão), Thales Philipe Rodrigues Da Silva (0000-0002-7115-0925, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais), Fernanda Penido Matozinhos (0000-0003-1368-4248)
Year2026
Volume26
Issue1
Publication date2026-03-03
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMC Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1471-2458 • E-ISSN: 1471-2458
PublisherBioMed Central (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1186/s12889-026-26409-1
PMID41772474
OpenAlexW7133325017
LanguageEN
References cited43

Vaccine hesitancy is a complex phenomenon influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience, confidence, context, and communication, which must be analyzed in their distinct and interrelated intersections. The school environment, given its strong influence on students, families, and local social networks, can be recognized as an important channel for knowledge dissemination and a favorable setting for debates focused on health promotion and the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases. Objective To analyze vaccine hesitancy among education and health personnel, identifying associated sociodemographic and contextual factors. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted between August 2023 and April 2024, carried out from an online questionnaire whose respondents involving people from the school community (school managers and teachers) and public health units in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Results Statistically significant differences were observed regarding education level, marital status, age group, municipality size, perception of government and institutional influence, occupation, and family income. Higher scores – indicating greater agreement with favorable attitudes toward vaccination – were found among participants with postgraduate education, without a partner, of younger age, those who agreed that government decisions influence vaccination, who were health personnel and who had higher income, whereas teachers and those with intermediate education levels showed a greater tendency toward vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion This study reinforces the need for specific strategies targeting the school environment, both to strengthen educators’ confidence and to promote joint actions between the health and education sectors. Interventions that expand training for managers and teachers on vaccines, combined with transparent and contextualized public communication policies – empowering them as multipliers of reliable information – may help to alleviate doubts and increase vaccination adherence

Biostatistics · Government (linguistics · Health education · Health promotion · Marital status · Perception · Promotion (chess · Psychological intervention · Public health · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy