Knowledge and perception of parents about measles and vaccination of children

Ospice su visoko zarazna virusna bolest koju karakterizira visoka temperatura, kašalj, pojava osipa te nerijetko komplikacije vezane za dišni i središnji živčani sustav. Uporabom učinkovitog cjepiva, incidencija ospica vidno se smanjila. U Europi se pojedine epidemije još uvijek detektiraju, a u područjima s neadekvatnim cijepljenjem i medicinskom skrbi ospice su i dalje jedan od vodećih uzroka smrtnosti djece. U Hrvatskoj je, usprkos zakonu Republike Hrvatske i brojnim prednostima koje cijepljenje donosi, značajan porast broja roditelja koji odbijaju cijepiti svoju djecu. Iako je dokazano da je cijepljenje najuspješniji preventivni program, posljednjih godina se neopravdano dovodi u pitanje. Ovim istraživanjem se htjelo uvidjeti koja je razina znanja roditelja o ospicama, htjela se ispitati njihova informiranost i stavovi općenito o ospicama, uzročniku ospica, njihovim simptomima te uvidjeti koji su njihovi stavovi o cijepljenju te smatraju li ospice opasnom bolesti. Anketni upitnik ''Znanje i stavovi roditelja o ospicama i cijepljenju djece'' proveden je putem društvene mreže, točnije Google obrasca. Anketa je bila u potpunosti anonimna, a sudionici su bili upoznati sa svrhom iste. Ispitivanje je provedeno u razdoblju od svibnja do srpnja 2020. godine te je sudjelovalo 300 roditelja različitih dobnih skupina i stupnja obrazovanja. S obzirom na to da stavovi utječu na ponašanje, važno je podupirati povjerenje u medicinu i zdravstveno osoblje, isticati izvore informacije te upozoravati na medije koji daju neistinite i necjelovite članke. Rad medicinske sestre je ključan u održavanju visokih cijepnih obuhvata, otklanjajući nepouzdane izvore informacija i educirajući roditelje. Medicinska sestra ima obvezu da kroz zdravstveni odgoj djeluje na nepovoljno ponašanje populacije koristeći svoje komunikacijske sposobnosti i znanje.Measles is a highly contagious viral disease characterized by high fever, cough, rash and often complications related to the respiratory and central nervous systems. By using an effective vaccine, the incidence of measles was significantly reduced. In Europe, some epidemics are still being detected, and in areas with inadequate vaccination and medical care, measles remains the one of leading causes of child mortality. In Croatia, despite the law of the Republic of Croatia and the numerous advantages that vaccination brings, there is a significant increase in the number of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. Although vaccination has been proven to be the most successful prevention program, it has been unjustifiably questioned in recent years. The aim of this research was to find out the level of parents' knowledge about measles, to examine their information and attitudes about measles in general, the cause of measles, their symptoms and to see what their attitudes about vaccination are and whether they consider measles a dangerous disease. The survey questionnaire "Knowledge and attitudes of parents about measles and vaccination of children" was conducted via the social network, more precisely the Google form. The survey was completely anonymous, and participants were informed of its purpose. The survey was conducted in the period from May to July 2020 and involved 300 parents of different age groups and levels of education. Given that attitudes influence behavior, it is important to support trust in medicine and health care professionals, highlight sources of information, and warn the media that provide untrue and incomplete articles. The work of a nurse is crucial in maintaining high vaccination coverage, eliminating unreliable sources of information and educating parents. The nurse has an obligation to influence the unfavorable behavior of the population through health education, using her communication skills and knowledge