title: Awareness of Influenza and Attitude Toward Influenza Vaccination Among Medical Students.
abstract: In Poland, influenza vaccination coverage among both the general population and healthcare workers is low. The aim of the study was to evaluate attitudes towards influenza vaccination among final-year medical students compared with first-year students at medical schools in Poland. Students were asked about the last season's influenza vaccination and what the reasons were for having, or not having, the vaccination. The knowledge of influenza was assessed using a 10-point visual analog scale. The study group consisted of 712 medical students, 404 in the first year and 308 in the final year (35 % and 31 % of all students in those years, respectively). Final-year students believed they had a better knowledge of influenza (OR = 3.33; CI95 %: 2.54-4.39). They answered questions about influenza immunizations (OR = 0.59; CI95 %: 0.44-0.78) and vaccination recommendations in pregnant women correctly more frequently (OR = 0.21; CI95 %: 0.16-0.28). The influenza vaccination rate among students in the 2014/2015 season was similar (17.1 % in the first vs. 15.9 % in the final year, NS). Among the final-year students, the reason for not having the vaccination was mainly financial and not any other. We conclude that although medical students' knowledge about influenza increases in the course of study, it did not much affect their unwilling attitude toward vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banaszkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Children's Infectious Diseases, Warsaw Medical University, 37 Wolska St., 01-201, Warsaw, Poland. ewa.talarek@wum.edu.pl.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Talarek
authors.affiliation: Student Research Association, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Śliwka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kazubski
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Małecka
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stryczyńska-Kazubska
authors.affiliation: Student Research Association, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dziubak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics with Clinical Decisions Unit, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kuchar
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013337:Students, Medical; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines
keywords: Education; Flu; Immunization; Infection; Prophylaxis; Vaccine