Vaccination Perceptions and Barriers of School Employees: A Pilot Study

• Main Author: Houle, Kim Cranney
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2013
• Subjects: immunization; vaccination; school employee; vaccination mandate; perceptions; Nursing
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3769; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4768&context=etd

Schools are group settings where vaccine-preventable diseases can spread quickly, especially if vaccination rates are suboptimal. Vaccination of school children has been the subject of many studies; however, data are lacking regarding the vaccination status, vaccination perceptions, and potential barriers to vaccination for school employees. Method: A questionnaire was developed to measure school employees' perceptions,awareness of current vaccination status, and potential barriers to vaccinations. This study included a convenience sample of 277 employees from a small urban school district located in central Utah. Results: Adult vaccination knowledge is lacking in the school employee population, with over half believing they were fully vaccinated even though 57.8% had not had an influenza vaccination this season. Many school employees were unaware of their vaccination status for highly virulent diseases such as measles and pertussis. In addition, most subjects believed vaccinations were safe and effective, although they believed vaccinations were more important for children than adults. Almost half of respondents believed vaccine mandates should exist for school employees. Conclusion: Knowledge gaps regarding adult vaccines can be positively influenced by nurses, especially school nurses. These knowledge gaps may be especially important to bridge concerning adults working in the school setting, an environment ideal for the spreading of communicable diseases.