title: Attitudes towards vaccination against seasonal influenza of health-care workers in primary health-care settings in Greece.
abstract: Vaccination of health-care workers (HCWs) against seasonal influenza has been consistently recommended worldwide in order to prevent nosocomial transmission and ensure delivery of health-care services during outbreaks. We describe the effects of a nationwide campaign to promote influenza vaccination among HCWs working in primary health-care centers in Greece. During 2008-2009 the mean vaccination rate among HCWs in primary health-care centers was 22.8% (range: 0-100%), with a considerable variability among Health Districts (range: 12.66-54.68%). Logistic regression showed that history of previous influenza vaccination, influenza vaccination the previous season, being a physician and a larger number of employees were associated with increased vaccination rates. Main reason for vaccination was self-protection (75.90%), while main reasons for refusing vaccination were belief that they are not at risk for contracting influenza (44.5%), doubts about vaccine effectiveness (20.79%), and fear of vaccine adverse effects (20.33%).
authors.affiliation: Department for Interventions in Health-Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3-5 Agrafon Street, Athens 15123, Greece.
authors.forename: Xanthi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dedoukou
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulos
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maragos
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giannoulidou
authors.forename: Helena C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Maltezou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines