Peer-reviewed article
Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece
Elisabeth K. Andrie, Εvanthia Sakellari, Anastasia Barbouni, Άρτεμις Τσίτσικα, Areti Lagiou ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001A study of vaccination coverage among undergraduate health science students in Greece found that 79% were fully vaccinated against mandatory childhood and adolescent diseases. While high coverage was achieved for several vaccines including measles-mumps-rubella and meningococcus vaccines, important gaps were identified in booster doses, human papillomavirus vaccination among girls, and vaccines against tuberculosis, meningococcus B, pneumococcal disease, and seasonal influenza. Males had significantly lower vaccination coverage than females, particularly for childhood vaccines. The researchers recommend strengthening routine vaccination programs for young adults through identification of under-vaccinated students, reminder systems, and campus-based vaccination services.
Key points
- Overall vaccination coverage was 79% (95% CI: 78-81%) among undergraduate students
- High coverage (>90%) achieved for meningococcus A/C/W135/Y, MMR, hepatitis B, and meningitis C vaccines
- Suboptimal coverage identified for tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis boosters, HPV vaccine in girls, TB, meningococcus B, pneumococcal, and influenza vaccines
- Males had significantly lower vaccination coverage than females, especially for childhood vaccines (p=0.045)
- Authors recommend establishing identification systems for under-vaccinated students and campus vaccination programs
Limitations
This study describes vaccination coverage among university students in one Greek institution and may not represent all young adults in Greece or other populations. The study does not examine reasons for incomplete vaccination or evaluate interventions to improve coverage.
Abstract
High rates of vaccination coverage in childhood represent one of the most important cost-effective tools of primary prevention and have substantially reduced the incidence of and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases globally. Vaccination coverage of young people has not been well estimated in Greece. Anonymous self-completed questionnaires and the participants’ Child Health Booklet were used to estimate complete vaccination coverage of mandatory vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases of undergraduate students at the University of West Attica during the academic year 2020−2021. Student’s t-tests were used to estimate mean values. Overall, 79% (95% CI: 78−81%) of study participants were fully vaccinated. This coverage was lower in males especially for vaccines that should be done during childhood (p = 0.045). High vaccination percentage (>90%) was observed for the meningococcus group A, C, W135, Y, measles-mumps-rubella, hepatitis B and meningitis C vaccine. Nevertheless, suboptimal coverage was assessed for the booster dose of tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, for the human papillomavirus vaccine among girls, for the tuberculosis, for the meningococcus group B, for the pneumococcal, and for the seasonal influenza vaccines. In conclusion, the promotion of routine vaccination programs for young adults needs to be strengthened. An identification system for under-vaccinated students, an efficient reminder system and university campus vaccine program practices should be established, particularly among males.