Peer-reviewed article
Promoting awareness of childhood vaccines in the Uyghur Türk community in Türkiye: a health education intervention.
Nimetcan Mehmet Orhun, Mehmet Enes Gökler, Egemen Ünal, Alimcan Buğda, Rena Karahan et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested a culturally and linguistically tailored health education intervention designed to increase vaccine acceptance among Uyghur Turkish adults in Türkiye. The intervention combined scientific information with Islamic perspectives on vaccination through community sessions in Istanbul and Konya. Participants showed substantial improvements in vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and trust in health authorities after the intervention, though some vaccine hesitancy remained. The study highlights that adapting health messages to cultural and religious contexts can help overcome vaccine hesitancy in underserved communities.
Key points
- Belief in necessity of childhood vaccines increased from 73.6% to 98.0%
- Confidence in vaccine safety improved from 63.2% to 93.1%
- Trust in Ministry of Health vaccine decisions rose from 57.5% to 87.1%
- Agreement that vaccination is permissible in Islam increased from 61.3% to 97.0%
- Some hesitancy remained: 20.8% believed in natural immunity, 23.8% had concerns about long-term MMR effects
Limitations
The study measured knowledge, attitudes, and intentions rather than actual vaccination uptake, so it cannot demonstrate whether improved awareness led to children actually receiving vaccines. The intervention was delivered to 106 self-selected participants in two cities, limiting generalizability.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy and low immunization coverage remain major challenges among the Uyghur Türk community in Türkiye due to linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic barriers. The 2022 measles outbreak, which disproportionately affected Uyghur children, highlighted the need for targeted interventions. This study aimed to assess the effect of a culturally and linguistically adapted health education intervention on vaccine-related knowledge, attitudes, trust, and intention to vaccinate among Uyghur adults in Türkiye. METHODS: Promoting Awareness of Childhood Vaccines in theUyghur Türk Community in Türkiye: A Health Education Intervention was implemented by university lecturers through two community-based educational sessions in Istanbul and Konya in 2025. A total of 106 adult participants attended the sessions. The intervention included pre- and post-tests, presentations integrating scientific and Islamic perspectives on vaccination, interactive discussions, and culturally tailored educational materials. RESULTS: Among participants, 57.5% were aged 25–44 years and 56% were female. The intervention was associated with improvements in vaccine-related knowledge, attitudes, and trust. Belief in the necessity of childhood vaccines increased from 73.6% to 98.0%, confidence in vaccine safety from 63.2% to 93.1%, and awareness of herd immunity from 60.4% to 99.0%. Trust in Ministry of Health vaccine decisions increased from 57.5% to 87.1%, while agreement that vaccination is permissible in Islam rose from 61.3% to 97.0%. Concerns regarding multiple vaccines, vaccine ingredients, and negative developmental effects decreased. Remaining challenges included beliefs in natural immunity (20.8%), doubts about certain vaccines (11.9%), and concerns about long-term MMR effects (23.8%). CONCLUSION: Culturally and linguistically adapted health education integrating scientific and religious perspectives can improve vaccine-related knowledge, attitudes, trust in health authorities, and intention to vaccinate among underserved communities. These findings do not reflect measured vaccination uptake. Sustained engagement, follow-up, and improved access to vaccination services are needed to support long-term behavioral change and may offer a scalable model for minority and migrant populations.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Culturally and linguistically adapted health education delivered through two community-based sessions, including presentations integrating scientific and Islamic perspectives on vaccination, interactive discussions, and culturally tailored educational materials
- Population
- 106 adult participants (56% female, 57.5% aged 25–44 years) from the Uyghur Türk community in Istanbul and Konya, Türkiye
Key finding
Belief in necessity of childhood vaccines increased from 73.6% to 98.0%
Orhun et al. · PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) · 28 Jan 2026