Anti-vaccination of Turkish parents in forums: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Epidemics of preventable diseases are re-emerging in many parts of the world with the increasing anti-vaccine views and vaccine hesitancy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the themes and narratives shared by vaccine-hesitant and anti-vaccine parents on online platforms. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative approach was used. An online search engine, Google, was used to perform a search utilizing the terms ‘anti-vaccine’ and ‘vaccine hesitancy’ between 2010 and 2021. As a result of the search, 244 posts were identified and 37 shares were included in the study as a result of the evaluation in terms of suitability. Data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis revealed six themes: (1) mood, (2) lack of trust in the healthcare industry and scientists, (3) distrust of vaccines, (4) communication and media, (5) faith/religious approach, and (6) community health. It was determined that people who are anti-vaccine share their negative experiences and parents who are undecided about getting vaccinated also share to exchange ideas. CONCLUSIONS: In the messages written by the parents, they experienced fear and anxiety, and they distrusted the health sector, scientists and vaccines. They obtained anti-vaccine information mostly through social media and internet-based communication resources.