Vaccine literacy and attitudes toward ımmunization among adults in primary care.

OBJECTIVE

Vaccine hesitancy continues to be a significant global public health issue, and our understanding of how vaccine literacy influences immunization attitudes is incomplete. The aim of this study was to evaluate vaccine literacy and attitudes toward immunization among adults in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and to examine the association between vaccine literacy dimensions and immunization attitudes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2025 among 928 adults attending Family Health Centers in Kırşehir. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured sociodemographic questionnaire, the Health Literacy about Vaccination in Adults Scale, and the Attitudes Toward Immunization Scale. Nonparametric tests, Spearman correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression were applied.

RESULTS

Participants showed moderate levels across all vaccine literacy domains and moderately positive immunization attitudes. Correlations between Health Literacy about Vaccination in Adults Scale subscales and Attitudes Toward Immunization Scale scores were generally weak. Communicative vaccine literacy showed a weak but important negative relationship with the overall Attitudes Toward Immunization Scale score (r=-0.077, p=0.018) and the belief/opinion part (r=-0.121). In regression analysis, none of the vaccine literacy subscales significantly predicted immunization attitudes, and the model explained only 0.4% of the variance (Adjusted R2=0.004, p=0.090).

CONCLUSION

Vaccine literacy alone has limited explanatory value for immunization attitudes. These findings indicate that attitudes are shaped by factors beyond cognitive literacy and suggest that interventions should extend beyond information provision.