Peer-reviewed article
Attitudes towards the childhood immunisation programme among Polish immigrants in Norway
Rebecca Nybru Gleditsch, Kamila Angelika Hynek, Trine Skogset Ofitserova, Bo Terning Hansen, Thea Steen Skogheim ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study explored why children born in Norway to Polish-born parents have lower vaccination coverage than the general population. Researchers interviewed 15 Polish immigrants in Norway about their attitudes towards childhood vaccines. Most participants' children were vaccinated, but some expressed hesitancy about specific vaccines like pneumococcal and HPV vaccines. Participants reported feeling less pressure to vaccinate in Norway than in Poland and expressed high trust in Norwegian health authorities.
Key points
- Norwegian-born children of Polish-born parents have lower coverage of some childhood vaccines than the general Norwegian population
- Most interviewed participants had lived in Norway for more than 10 years and had children
- Some participants reported hesitancy towards pneumococcal and human papillomavirus vaccines
- Participants felt less vaccine pressure in Norway compared to Poland
- Participants expressed high trust in Norwegian health authorities
Limitations
This is a preliminary analysis with only 15 participants from qualitative interviews, so findings cannot be generalised to all Polish immigrants in Norway. The small sample size and qualitative design mean the study cannot quantify how common specific attitudes are or explain causation.
Abstract
Abstract Background Norwegian-born children by Polish-born parents have lower coverage of some childhood vaccines than the general population in the nationwide Childhood Immunisation Programme. However, we know little about why this group have lower coverage. This study explored attitudes towards the Childhood Immunisation Programme among Polish immigrants in Norway. This knowledge can enhance vaccine information and further improve the prevention of infectious diseases in Norway. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Polish immigrants in Norway in the fall of 2022. The project explored vaccination in general, while the focus herein is on child vaccination. To better understand how the experiences and knowledge shape the participants’ attitudes towards vaccines and vaccination, the data was inductively analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis is ongoing, and results are thus preliminary. Results Most of the participants had lived more than 10 years in Norway, while three had lived here for less than five years. All the participants had children. Based on the thematic analysis, we focused on three sub themes: 1) view of the child immunisation programme; 2) vaccine hesitancy; and 3) differences in childhood vaccination between Poland and Norway. Most of the participants’ children followed the immunisation programme. Some reported hesitancy towards the pneumococcal vaccine and the human papilloma virus vaccine. The majority of the participants expressed feeling less vaccine pressure in Norway than Poland and emphasized a high level of trust in the Norwegian health authorities. Conclusions The knowledge related to vaccine attitudes and differences between the Polish and the Norwegian programmes identified in the study, can help adapt better vaccine information and further improve the prevention of infectious diseases in Norway in general and for under-vaccinated groups in particular. Key messages • This knowledge can be used to adapt better vaccine information. • This knowledge can help to improve the prevention of infectious diseases in Norway and for under-vaccinated groups in particular.