Sillab Farid Ahmad, Moghri Javad, Najar Ali Vafaee, Marvi Abolfazl, Sana Abdolnaser, Naghipour Maryam, Hooshmand Elaheh
Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Department of Management sciences and health Economics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Aug 18;25(1):2820. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23903-w.
Polio vaccination faces persistent challenges in Afghanistan due to socio-cultural barriers, distrust in healthcare systems, and ongoing conflicts, making it crucial to address vaccine hesitancy for successful eradication efforts.. Therefore, this study was designed to explain the reasons for families in Herat Province, Afghanistan, not receiving the polio vaccine.
This qualitative study was conducted in 2023 in Herat Province, Afghanistan. In this study, 22 families who refused vaccination were interviewed until data saturation was achieved. To ensure representativeness, participants were purposefully selected to capture demographic diversity in age, economic status, educational background, number of children, and occupation, providing a comprehensive view of factors influencing vaccine hesitancy across different segments of the population Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2022 software with conventional content analysis.
Participants ranged from 25 to50 years old, most had less than high school education, and many were self-employed. Main themes from the data included: stereotypical beliefs, cultural barriers, government inadequacies, and vaccine-related concerns, with nine subcategories.
To enhance vaccine acceptance, community-based communication strategies involving trusted local leaders, such as religious and tribal figures, could be instrumental in building public trust. Campaigns tailored to address specific misconceptions-using simple language and culturally sensitive approaches-would likely resonate more with hesitant populations. Additionally, establishing transparent channels for reporting vaccine safety and efficacy may help to dispel myths and increase confidence in immunization programs.
由于社会文化障碍、对医疗系统的不信任以及持续的冲突，阿富汗的脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种面临着持续的挑战，因此解决疫苗犹豫问题对于成功的根除努力至关重要。因此，本研究旨在解释阿富汗赫拉特省家庭未接种脊髓灰质炎疫苗的原因。
这项定性研究于2023年在阿富汗赫拉特省进行。在本研究中，对22个拒绝接种疫苗的家庭进行了访谈，直至达到数据饱和。为确保代表性，有目的地选择参与者以涵盖年龄、经济状况、教育背景、子女数量和职业方面的人口统计学多样性，从而全面了解影响不同人群疫苗犹豫的因素。使用MAXQDA 2022软件并采用常规内容分析法进行数据分析。
参与者年龄在25至50岁之间，大多数人受教育程度低于高中，许多人是个体经营者。数据中的主要主题包括：刻板观念、文化障碍、政府不足以及与疫苗相关的担忧，共有九个子类别。
为提高疫苗接受度，让受信任的当地领导人（如宗教和部落人物）参与的基于社区的沟通策略可能有助于建立公众信任。使用简单语言和具有文化敏感性的方法来解决特定误解的宣传活动可能会更能引起犹豫人群的共鸣。此外，建立报告疫苗安全性和有效性的透明渠道可能有助于消除误解并增强对免疫计划的信心。
