Knowledge and Beliefs on Vaccines

Dear Colleagues,

Skepticism towards the use of safe and available vaccines is a widespread phenomenon globally. Over the last decade, acceptance of childhood vaccinations has been hampered, mainly in industrialized countries, by a growing feeling of insecurity towards the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and low perception of disease risk. These same factors are currently affecting the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination, posing a challenge for the success of the ongoing immunization campaign.

According to the health belief model (HBM), people's specific beliefs, namely perceived severity and susceptibility of the disease and the perceived benefits and risks of the vaccine, relate to health behaviors. It has been suggested by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) that hesitancy towards vaccinations is context-specific, varying across time, place, and vaccine. In this Special Issue, we would like to focus on the main beliefs that influence immunization choices in different populations and about different vaccines and diseases, with the aim to provide an overview of the complexity of the phenomenon and to suggest possible strategies to increase knowledge and promote positive attitudes towards vaccinations.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Level of knowledge and beliefs on vaccinations in different populations
• Association between knowledge and vaccination choices
• Cultural and religious beliefs about vaccinations
• Vaccine education and promotion strategies

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Annalisa Rosso
Dr. Azzurra Massimi
Dr. Gianluca Voglino
Prof. Dr. Maria Gualano
Guest Editors

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