title: Medical students' attitude towards influenza vaccination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Influenza vaccination is recommended for all healthcare personnel (HCP) and most institutions offer vaccination for free and on site. However, medical students do not always have such easy access, and the predictors that might guide the motivation of medical students to get vaccinated are largely unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among pre-clinical medical students in a German University hospital to assess the social cognitive predictors of influenza vaccination, as well as reasons for refusal and acceptance of the vaccine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings show that pre-clinical medical students have comparable knowledge gaps and negative attitudes towards influenza vaccination that have previously been reported among HCP. Lower injunctive norms and higher feelings of autonomy contribute to no intention to get vaccinated against influenza, while a positive instrumental attitude and higher feelings of autonomy contribute to a high intention to get vaccinated. The variables in the regression model explained 20% of the variance in intention to get vaccinated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The identified factors should be addressed early in medical education, and hospitals might benefit from a more inclusive vaccination program and accessibility of free vaccines for their medical students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Work & Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. birthe.lehmann@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Birthe A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Work & Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. r.ruiter@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Robert A C
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ruiter
authors.affiliation: Betriebsärztlicher Dienst, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany. sabine.wicker@kgu.de.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wicker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8020, USA. gretchen.chapman@rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Gretchen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: Department of Work & Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. g.kok@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Gerjo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines