Attitudes and behaviors toward vaccination among nursing students from Spain and Portugal: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background/Objectives Since nursing students will be future promoters of immunization, it is essential to compare the attitudes and behaviors toward vaccination among nursing students in Portugal and Spain, to provide a comparative and contextualised view of the perceptions and practices of future health professionals in two countries with similar health systems and training structures, but influenced by different socio-cultural frameworks. Therefore, allows for the identification of similarities and divergences in the disposition towards vaccination, which is key for the design of more effective and culturally sensitive educational and public health strategies. Methods This cross-sectional study assessed and compared attitudes and behaviors toward vaccination among nursing students from the Portuguese Catholic University (Lisbon, Portugal) and the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). The study included 928 students from all four years of the nursing degree program, who completed the Questionnaire on Attitudes and Behaviors toward Vaccination in Health Sciences Students (ACVECS). Results The results showed significant differences between both countries. Spanish students presented more favorable attitudes and behaviors toward vaccination compared to Portuguese students (p < 0.001). Women and native students obtained higher scores. Differences were observed according to academic year: in Spain, students in higher years showed better attitudes, while in Portugal it was first-year students who obtained higher scores. These differences could be influenced by cultural, educational, and pandemic-related factors. Conclusions Spanish students showed significantly more favorable attitudes and behaviors toward vaccination than Portuguese students. Native students had a better attitude toward vaccination in both countries, this difference being especially notable in behaviors oriented toward vaccination among Portuguese students.