tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Turk J Pediatr
. 2026 Apr 30;68(2):190-209.
doi: 10.24953/turkjpediatr.2026.6651.
Influenza vaccination rates in children: a multicenter nationwide study
Hacer Yakın[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kübra Aykaç[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sultan İçöz[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Halit Kolukırık[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gülce Gerçek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ece Arslan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Osman Oğuz Demir[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elif Güdeloğlu Çetiz[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Muhammed Selçuk Sinanoğlu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Pelin Kaçar[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mustafa Gülderen[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Arife Özer[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Dilan Demir Gümüş[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Şeyma Erdem Torun[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Burcu Ceylan Cura Yayla[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Önder Kılıçaslan[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Adem Karbuz[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Dicle Şener Okur[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Mustafa Genceli[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Özge Metin Akcan[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Didem Büyüktaş Aytaç[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Gülsen Akkoç[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Sare İlbay[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Latife Güder[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Tuğba Bedir Demirdağ[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Anıl Tapısız[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Eda Şahin İzci[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Nazan Dalgıç[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Fatma Dilşad Aksoy[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Esra Çiftçi[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Solmaz Çelebi[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Neslihan Mete Atasever[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Ayper Somer[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Esra Çakmak Taşkın[SUP] 17 [/SUP], Merve İşeri Nepesov[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Özlem Erdede[SUP] 19 [/SUP], Derya İlhan[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Soner Sertan Kara[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Gülsüm Alkan[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Büşra Özyalvaç[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Melike Emiroğlu[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Ayşe Çakıl Güzin[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Eda Karadağ Öncel[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Gülben Özgül Postuk[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Zeynep Gökçe Gayretli Aydın[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Belma Yaşar[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Zuhal Ümit[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Semra Bayturan Şen[SUP] 25 [/SUP], Coşkun Ekemen[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Gülhadiye Avcu[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Hatice Sınav Utku[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Selim Öncel[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Aslıhan Şahin[SUP] 28 [/SUP], Yıldız Ekemen Keleş[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Elif Kıymet[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Oben Gözde Şenkon[SUP] 30 [/SUP], Ayşe Hitay Telefon[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Merve Kılıç Çil[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Ümit Çelik[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Nahida Gökay[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Edanur Yeşil[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Necdet Kuyucu[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Ayşenur Bostan[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Gizem Mardinoğlu[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Ömer Kılıç[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Benhur Çetin[SUP] 34 [/SUP], Mesut Kara[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Nurettin Erdem[SUP] 36 [/SUP], Şahika Şahinkaya[SUP] 36 [/SUP], Zehra Nihan Coşkun[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Hatice Kübra Konca[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Saliha Kanık-Yüksek[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Hatice Karaoğlu Asrak[SUP] 38 [/SUP], Hakan Tanrıkulu[SUP] 39 [/SUP], Canan Özlü[SUP] 40 [/SUP], Ayşe Sena Dönmez[SUP] 41 [/SUP], Gülizar Toy Usta[SUP] 42 [/SUP], Kıvanç Çelikkan[SUP] 42 [/SUP], Özlem Çakıcı[SUP] 43 [/SUP], Ezgi Avcı[SUP] 44 [/SUP], Aysel Hacısoy[SUP] 45 [/SUP], Halise Mercan[SUP] 45 [/SUP], Hanife Avcı[SUP] 46 [/SUP], Ali Bülent Cengiz[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yasemin Özsürekci[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: Influenza remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, yet vaccination coverage is still suboptimal in many countries. We aimed to understand parental awareness, attitudes, and determinants of vaccine uptake to guide effective strategies for increasing coverage and protecting vulnerable pediatric populations.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2023 and May 2024 in 38 hospitals across 23 provinces in Türkiye. Data were collected from 5002 families through face-to-face interviews, with 4404 valid responses analyzed.
Results: The overall influenza vaccination rate among children was 4.4% (n=195/4404). Vaccination coverage was slightly higher in high-risk groups compared to non-high-risk groups (5.2% vs. 3.5%, p=0.003). Factors positively associated with vaccination uptake included the presence of chronic illness in the child (15.1% in vaccinated vs. 4.7% in unvaccinated, p<0.001), higher parental education levels, and parental history of influenza vaccination (42.8% vs. 4.4%, p<0.001). Logistic regression identified poor attendance at routine pediatric check-ups, lack of awareness of influenza vaccination, and absence of private vaccination as the strongest predictors of non-vaccination.
Conclusion: The overall influenza vaccination rate among children was 4.4% (n=195/4404). Vaccination coverage was slightly higher in high-risk groups compared to non-high-risk groups (5.2% vs. 3.5%, p=0.003). Factors positively associated with vaccination uptake included the presence of chronic illness in the child (15.1% in vaccinated vs. 4.7% in unvaccinated, p<0.001), higher parental education levels, and parental history of influenza vaccination (42.8% vs. 4.4%, p<0.001). Logistic regression identified poor attendance at routine pediatric check-ups, lack of awareness of influenza vaccination, and absence of private vaccination as the strongest predictors of non-vaccination.
Keywords: children; influenza; vaccination.
. 2026 Apr 30;68(2):190-209.
doi: 10.24953/turkjpediatr.2026.6651.
Influenza vaccination rates in children: a multicenter nationwide study
Hacer Yakın[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kübra Aykaç[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sultan İçöz[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Halit Kolukırık[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gülce Gerçek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ece Arslan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Osman Oğuz Demir[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elif Güdeloğlu Çetiz[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Muhammed Selçuk Sinanoğlu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Pelin Kaçar[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mustafa Gülderen[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Arife Özer[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Dilan Demir Gümüş[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Şeyma Erdem Torun[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Burcu Ceylan Cura Yayla[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Önder Kılıçaslan[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Adem Karbuz[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Dicle Şener Okur[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Mustafa Genceli[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Özge Metin Akcan[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Didem Büyüktaş Aytaç[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Gülsen Akkoç[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Sare İlbay[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Latife Güder[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Tuğba Bedir Demirdağ[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Anıl Tapısız[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Eda Şahin İzci[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Nazan Dalgıç[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Fatma Dilşad Aksoy[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Esra Çiftçi[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Solmaz Çelebi[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Neslihan Mete Atasever[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Ayper Somer[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Esra Çakmak Taşkın[SUP] 17 [/SUP], Merve İşeri Nepesov[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Özlem Erdede[SUP] 19 [/SUP], Derya İlhan[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Soner Sertan Kara[SUP] 20 [/SUP], Gülsüm Alkan[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Büşra Özyalvaç[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Melike Emiroğlu[SUP] 21 [/SUP], Ayşe Çakıl Güzin[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Eda Karadağ Öncel[SUP] 22 [/SUP], Gülben Özgül Postuk[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Zeynep Gökçe Gayretli Aydın[SUP] 23 [/SUP], Belma Yaşar[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Zuhal Ümit[SUP] 24 [/SUP], Semra Bayturan Şen[SUP] 25 [/SUP], Coşkun Ekemen[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Gülhadiye Avcu[SUP] 26 [/SUP], Hatice Sınav Utku[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Selim Öncel[SUP] 27 [/SUP], Aslıhan Şahin[SUP] 28 [/SUP], Yıldız Ekemen Keleş[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Elif Kıymet[SUP] 29 [/SUP], Oben Gözde Şenkon[SUP] 30 [/SUP], Ayşe Hitay Telefon[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Merve Kılıç Çil[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Ümit Çelik[SUP] 31 [/SUP], Nahida Gökay[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Edanur Yeşil[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Necdet Kuyucu[SUP] 32 [/SUP], Ayşenur Bostan[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Gizem Mardinoğlu[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Ömer Kılıç[SUP] 33 [/SUP], Benhur Çetin[SUP] 34 [/SUP], Mesut Kara[SUP] 35 [/SUP], Nurettin Erdem[SUP] 36 [/SUP], Şahika Şahinkaya[SUP] 36 [/SUP], Zehra Nihan Coşkun[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Hatice Kübra Konca[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Saliha Kanık-Yüksek[SUP] 37 [/SUP], Hatice Karaoğlu Asrak[SUP] 38 [/SUP], Hakan Tanrıkulu[SUP] 39 [/SUP], Canan Özlü[SUP] 40 [/SUP], Ayşe Sena Dönmez[SUP] 41 [/SUP], Gülizar Toy Usta[SUP] 42 [/SUP], Kıvanç Çelikkan[SUP] 42 [/SUP], Özlem Çakıcı[SUP] 43 [/SUP], Ezgi Avcı[SUP] 44 [/SUP], Aysel Hacısoy[SUP] 45 [/SUP], Halise Mercan[SUP] 45 [/SUP], Hanife Avcı[SUP] 46 [/SUP], Ali Bülent Cengiz[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yasemin Özsürekci[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 42172456
- DOI: 10.24953/turkjpediatr.2026.6651
Background: Influenza remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, yet vaccination coverage is still suboptimal in many countries. We aimed to understand parental awareness, attitudes, and determinants of vaccine uptake to guide effective strategies for increasing coverage and protecting vulnerable pediatric populations.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2023 and May 2024 in 38 hospitals across 23 provinces in Türkiye. Data were collected from 5002 families through face-to-face interviews, with 4404 valid responses analyzed.
Results: The overall influenza vaccination rate among children was 4.4% (n=195/4404). Vaccination coverage was slightly higher in high-risk groups compared to non-high-risk groups (5.2% vs. 3.5%, p=0.003). Factors positively associated with vaccination uptake included the presence of chronic illness in the child (15.1% in vaccinated vs. 4.7% in unvaccinated, p<0.001), higher parental education levels, and parental history of influenza vaccination (42.8% vs. 4.4%, p<0.001). Logistic regression identified poor attendance at routine pediatric check-ups, lack of awareness of influenza vaccination, and absence of private vaccination as the strongest predictors of non-vaccination.
Conclusion: The overall influenza vaccination rate among children was 4.4% (n=195/4404). Vaccination coverage was slightly higher in high-risk groups compared to non-high-risk groups (5.2% vs. 3.5%, p=0.003). Factors positively associated with vaccination uptake included the presence of chronic illness in the child (15.1% in vaccinated vs. 4.7% in unvaccinated, p<0.001), higher parental education levels, and parental history of influenza vaccination (42.8% vs. 4.4%, p<0.001). Logistic regression identified poor attendance at routine pediatric check-ups, lack of awareness of influenza vaccination, and absence of private vaccination as the strongest predictors of non-vaccination.
Keywords: children; influenza; vaccination.