Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40529847›Full record

ArticleRisk management and healthcare policy2025

Vaccine Hesitancy and Immunization Patterns in Central and Eastern Europe: Sociocultural, Economic, Political, and Digital Influences Across Seven Countries.

Donata Kurpas, Dorota Stefanicka-Wojtas, Aneta Soll-Morka, Katarzyna Lomper, Bartosz Uchmanowicz, Beata Blahova, Aelita Bredelytė, Gheorghe Gindrovel Dumitra, Vladimíra Hudáčková, Katerina Javorska and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Risk management and healthcare policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Donata KurpasDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-6996-8920
Dorota Stefanicka-WojtasDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-8162-7299
Aneta Soll-MorkaDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
Katarzyna LomperDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
Bartosz UchmanowiczDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-9387-4158
Beata BlahovaEURIPA, Slovak Society of General Practitioners, Krompachy, Slovak Republic.
Aelita BredelytėDepartment of Nursing, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Gheorghe Gindrovel DumitraFamily Medicine Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Craiova, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-8982-9645
Vladimíra HudáčkováThe London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London, UK.
Katerina JavorskaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
Zoltán JuhászDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary.
Stanisław ManulikDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.ORCID 0000-0003-4292-161X
András MohosDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary.
Egidijus SkarbaliusDepartment of Public Health, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Victoria I TkachenkoDepartment of Internal Medicine and Training Centre of Family Medicine, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine.ORCID 0000-0002-0789-5340
Izabella UchmanowiczDepartment of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-5452-0210

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Vaccination programs are essential for preventing infectious diseases, yet the effectiveness of these programs varies significantly across Central and Eastern European countries due to diverse socio-economic, cultural, and political influences. This study examines vaccination trends in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania, focusing on misinformation, regional healthcare disparities, and socio-cultural factors on vaccination rates. Methods: A comprehensive review of national policies, vaccination rates, and factors influencing vaccine hesitancy was conducted across seven Central and Eastern European countries. Input from local health stakeholders and national data sources was analysed to contextualize vaccination patterns and challenges. Results: Significant cross-country variation was observed. Hungary and the Czech Republic reported consistently high coverage of mandatory childhood vaccinations, while Romania and Ukraine experienced severe declines in uptake, leading to outbreaks of measles and polio. Slovakia demonstrated low COVID-19 vaccination willingness, and Poland recorded a sharp increase in formal vaccine refusals. Conversely, Lithuania implemented successful campaigns that improved uptake, particularly for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. Differences were influenced by healthcare system structure, public trust, exposure to misinformation, and digital communication strategies. Conclusion: Addressing vaccine hesitancy requires targeted, context-sensitive communication and digital literacy programs. Additionally, policy reforms to enhance accessibility, particularly in rural areas, and real-time monitoring systems can strengthen vaccination rates. Cross-border collaboration and tailored public health campaigns addressing cultural and socio-economic challenges are necessary to improve immunization coverage in these regions.

Indexed as

Central and Eastern Europepublic healthvaccination trendsvaccine hesitancy

Identifiers

PMID40529847
PMCPMC12170812

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.