YEREVAN, Armenia — American University of Armenia (AUA) Master of Public Health (MPH) graduate Tamara Sedrakyan (MPH ’24), DDS, has recently published her MPH thesis project in Sage’s Journal of Public Health Research. This international peer-reviewed and open-access scholarly journal publishes and generates knowledge to improve health outcomes at the population level by stimulating debate and disseminating research across public health disciplines using a global and multidisciplinary approach.
The co-authors of the article are CHS faculty members from the Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) Tsovinar Harutyunyan (MPH ’99), Ph.D., and Zhanna Sargsyan (MPH ’18). The article, “Measles Vaccine Hesitancy among Mothers in Yerevan, Armenia: A Qualitative Study”, describes the reasons behind measles vaccine refusal and delay among mothers of young children in Yerevan. The study examined the complex psychosocial factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy, guided by the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Mothers of children aged 13–36 months who have not received their first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine participated in in-depth interviews, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis was used to identify key drivers of hesitancy.
Despite the availability of an effective MMR vaccine, the global incidence of measles and related mortality has significantly increased worldwide, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study revealed that vaccine hesitancy among participants was primarily driven by a strong belief in natural immunity, general lack of trust in health institutions, and misinformation on social media. To improve vaccine uptake in Armenia and globally, it is vital to counter misinformation and disinformation, particularly on social media platforms, which are a key source of anti-vaccine messaging.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.