Health Literacy - creating Trust
in Vaccination
Hildrun Sundseth
Board Member
European Institute of Women’s Health
About the EIWH
• The European Institute of Women’s Health (EIWH) is a health NGO launched in 1996.
• The EIWH aims to ensure a gender-sensitive approach to health policy, prevention, treatment, care and research in order to reduce health inequalities and improve quality.
• Organisation:
• Extensive multi-national, multi-disciplinary network of patient groups, health NGOs, researchers, gender experts, politicians, and medical professionals
• Expert Advisory Board
Importance of Vaccination
• Vaccination a key tool to prevent infectious
diseases.
•Despite past success, benefits are currently not
fully recognised or appreciated by society.
•Media stories misrepresenting or exaggerating
the dangers of vaccines.
•Result in loss of public trust in vaccination.
•Current measles upsurge in some EU countries
is a warning to policymakers.
Women & Vaccination
•Women - due to their reproductive and caring
roles in society - have traditionally played a key
part in getting their children vaccinated.
• Through the introduction of the HPV vaccines for
the prevention of most forms of cervical cancer
women’s awareness of vaccination beyond
childhood, travel or flu has increased.
Older Women & Vaccination
• The EU 2020 Strategy calls for an increase in
two healthy life years.
• Yet vaccination for older people is not
consistently promoted.
•Women themselves are on the forefront of ageing,
due to their greater longevity and caring for
ageing family member.
• Need to highlight vaccination in older adults to reduce
infections such as influenza or pneumococcal diseases,
• Prevent costly hospitalisation.
History of Distrust in Vaccination
•Reaction to Smallpox Vaccine already in
19th century.
•UK Compulsory Vaccination Act 1853
•Court case against compulsory vaccination
• “Conscientious objection” was coined.
The Vaccination Monster
Restoring Public Trust
• Leadership in vaccination by public health
community is lacking.
• Address concerns early before there is a threat of
outbreak.
• Accurate scientific evidence on benefit/risk.
• But also underlying issues: mix of psychological,
ethical, religious, sociocultural and political
• Ensure consistency of message.
• Invest in a health literate public.
Health Literacy & Vaccination
•Health literacy is the ability to access,
understand, evaluate and communicate
information as a way to promote, maintain and
improve health in a variety of settings across the
life course
•Health literacy about vaccination would:
Improve the public’s understanding of vaccination;
Counteract the negative view of vaccination in society.
ECDC Health Literacy Report
• A recent ECDC publication
highlighted the need for a health
literate approach to infectious
disease control for the benefit of
both individuals and for society.
• Yet, little support is giving by
European and national health
authorities to support vaccination
across the lifespan.
Need for EU Action
Infectious diseases easily move across
borders.
• The EU health policy focus is on prevention
•Recently adopted Cross Boarder Healthcare
legislation.
• Europe needs a common strategy for
vaccination across the lifespan and as well as
targeted health literacy programmes aimed at
specific population group.
Need for Advocacy
•Unlike for specific diseases such as HIV, cancer,
diabetes, rare diseases, a strong advocacy voice
for vaccination is missing.
• Anti-vaccine activists are well-organised and
highly vocal.
•HPV Vaccination was led by Cervical Cancer
patient groups, joined by civil society.
EP Event: HPV Vaccination
•During the European Week Against
Cancer, MEPs in conjunction with
the EIWH held a Roundtable on
cervical cancer prevention.
•To highlight to MEPs the need for
the European cervical cancer
prevention strategy to include HPV
vaccination.
6 June 2012
Recommendations
• Address public concerns pro-actively.
• Increase health literacy about the benefit of
vaccination across the life-span.
•Research to understand the psychologicial, social
and political factors that affect public trust.
• EU show leadership in vaccination policy.
Thank you!
For more information, please contact:
European Institute of Women’s Health
33 Pearse Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
http://www.eurohealth.ie
+353-1-671-5691