Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward childhood vaccination in Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Background: Hesitancy toward vaccination is a major problem around the globe with significant public health ramifications. It has increased worldwide. Aim of the work: The aim of this study is to explore the level of knowledge about and attitude and practice toward childhood vaccines among parents in Riyadh and Dammam. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study that was conducted in Riyadh and Dammam from December 2019-January 2020 among 899 parents who have children in the vaccination age group 0-17 years old. Results: The mean knowledge score among the studied population was 7.76 out of 18, indicates poor knowledge. The mean hesitancy score was 3.41 out of 14. Only 13.3% of the total population obtained a hesitancy score above 50%. The overall vaccine hesitancy rate was 14.5%. The highest knowledge and attitude scores recorded among the residents of Riyadh, whereas the lowest hesitancy score recorded among residents in Dammam. The important reported barrier for childhood vaccines was that parents didn't think vaccines were needed for their children. Conclusion: The current study reported poor knowledge but a good attitude toward vaccination and a low level of both vaccine hesitancy and refusal among the studied population.