{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T14:48:49Z","timestamp":1777042129846,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776729600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Despite the introduction in 2017 of mandatory vaccination for the hexavalent and the measles\u2013mumps\u2013rubella\u2013varicella vaccines, childhood vaccination coverage in Sicily (Italy) remains below the recommended and safety threshold of 95%. A catch-up vaccination intervention was implemented for the pediatric population of the 2022\u20132023 birth cohorts residing in a health district of Palermo (Bagheria) where in 2024, 24-month coverage for polio and measles was 77.29% and 77.62%, respectively. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a before\u2013after component was conducted between June 2025 and December 2025, with the aim of evaluating the increase in vaccination coverage. A questionnaire was administered to the parents of non-compliant children to investigate the determinants of infant vaccine hesitancy. Results: Collaboration with primary care pediatricians and the organization of active call sessions and extra vaccination sessions resulted in an increase in vaccination coverage of approximately 10\u201312 percentage points in both birth cohorts. The investigation of the determinants of vaccination adherence showed some significant associations: \u201cperception of infectious disease risk\u201d (OR: 7.91; p = 0.009) and \u201cexpectations of a positive outcome from vaccination\u201d (OR: 8.62; p = 0.003). Vaccine information sources such as the internet and media were associated with refusal of catch-up vaccination (OR: 0.47, p &lt; 0.001; and OR: 0.13, p = 0.026, respectively). Conclusions: Despite methodological limitations, such as the self-reported nature of the survey data, the study demonstrated the usefulness of local strategies aimed at vaccination catch-up, representing a valuable example of local public health practice and effectively contributing to improved vaccination coverage in the pediatric population.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines14040366","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T16:10:44Z","timestamp":1776787844000},"page":"366","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Catch-Up Vaccination Intervention and Study of Infant Vaccine Hesitancy in Health District in Palermo (Italy)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Alessandra","family":"Fallucca","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prevention, Provincial Health Authority of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Roberto","family":"Levita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prevention, Provincial Health Authority of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Vella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prevention, Provincial Health Authority of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Angela","family":"Sutera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prevention, Provincial Health Authority of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Domenico","family":"Mirabile","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prevention, Provincial Health Authority of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonino","family":"Levita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prevention, Provincial Health Authority of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5090-1366","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Walter","family":"Mazzucco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Vitale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5676-9535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Casuccio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Ministry of Health, Italy (2026, February 28). 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