RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To describe the population who self-reported perceiving information on vaccines provided by health professionals as inadequate, and to analyze factors associated. METHODS: A Spanish nationwide representative health survey conducted in individuals ≥18 in 2015 (Nâ¯=â¯7 800) was used. Respondents were classified according to the question: 'Do you think that health professionals inform adequately to patients about the advantages and risks of vaccines prior to their administration? (yes/no/non-responders). The association with socio-demographic and health-related characteristics and with opinions/attitudes regarding vaccines were analyzed. RESULTS: 33.7% of respondents felt not adequately informed. These individuals had lower influenza vaccination coverage (16.0% vs. 24.1%), and were more distrustful of vaccines in general (8.4% vs. 3.3%) as well as regarding on the influenza vaccine (11.9% vs. 7.6%). Inadequate information was associated with female gender (aOR:1.21,95%CI:1.08-1.35), autochthonous origin (aOR:1.54,95%CI:1.27--1.87), household income ≤600/month (aOR:1.45,95%CI:1.10-1.91), poor self-perceived health (aOR:3.17,95%CI:1.36-7.39), and a lower satisfaction with the National Health Service and nurses (aOR:0.92,95%CI:0.89-0.95 and aOR:0.85,95%CI:0.82-0.88). CONCLUSION: A large proportion of the population considers that the information provided regarding vaccines is inadequate. This perception is associated with negative attitudes towards vaccination. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Further studies are required to deepen our understanding of the problem and to enhance communication provided by healthcare professionals.
