Abstract
: Vaccine hesitancy continues to pose a major challenge to public health, particularly among vulnerable populations who often face additional barriers to access, trust, and healthcare engagement. Understanding the complexities that drive hesitancy in these groups is critical for designing effective interventions that promote equitable vaccine uptake across Europe. This scientific session aims to explore the intersection of vaccine hesitancy and vulnerability, examining how social, economic, and cultural factors contribute to delayed or refused vaccinations among specific populations such as migrants, ethnic minorities, and socially disadvantaged groups. The objective is to equip public health professionals, policymakers, and researchers with insights and tools to address vaccine hesitancy in a targeted, culturally sensitive manner. The session will present findings from ongoing research projects across Europe and highlight innovative approaches to reducing vaccine hesitancy. The first presentation will explore reasons for low HPV vaccine uptake among underserved communities in Sweden. It will present perspectives from adolescents, parents, and school nurses, and show how concerns are being addressed through a co-design process with these groups. The resulting solutions will be tested in a randomized controlled trial. The second presentation will share results from a five-month educational intervention targeting HPV vaccine hesitancy among Ukrainian migrant and refugee parents in Poland, part of the RIVER-EU project. Through sessions led by Ukrainian-speaking GPs, participants showed improved vaccine knowledge, reduced hesitancy, and increased uptake-135 children received the first HPV dose. The presentation will underscore the value of culturally tailored strategies in promoting vaccine acceptance. The third presentation will examine gaps in adult Hepatitis B vaccination among underserved groups such as migrants, refugees, and prisoners in Europe. It will outline multi-level barriers and propose practical solutions, from policy reform and outreach services to peer support and digital follow-up. The session highlights how aligning legal entitlements, service delivery, and community engagement can close the vaccination gap. The session will foster interactive dialogue by allowing time for discussion after each presentation, inviting audience reflections, shared experiences, and questions. This participatory format is designed to stimulate thought-provoking debates on vaccine equity, effective communication strategies, and policy development. This session builds collaboration across various European institutions and public health disciplines and directly responds to the urgent need for stronger, evidence-based approaches to vaccine promotion among vulnerable groups. By exchanging ideas and proposing new strategies, participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the barriers these populations face and how public health interventions can be improved. KEY MESSAGES: • Addressing vaccine uptake among vulnerable populations requires understanding the broader social determinants that limit trust and access to vaccination. • Strengthening collaboration and knowledge-sharing across countries and disciplines is essential for developing effective, culturally sensitive strategies to overcome vaccine hesitancy in Europe.