Table 4 Results of the thematic analysis according to the trust dimension^a: vaccinated and unvaccinated patients with diabetes

 Trust in one’s physician -- specialist or general practitioner (request for advice, following their recommendations)

I talked about with her (my general practitioner), and she told me that it’s in my best interest, so I said, ok, I’ll do it, and then... (P9)

 Suspicion of drugs generally and/or recourse to alternative medicine

I know you should not use too much of it [conventional medicine], when he gives me medication to take for 3 weeks or a month, I tend to stop earlier … because I think that this kind of medicine also destroys one’s health a little (P13).

 Trust in the composition of vaccines

…they are drugs...it’s vaccines × years and so I think that there would have been many many more problems, no, no I’m confident... (P18).

 Suspicion of influenza vaccine at the time of the pandemic

There are times when there was a history of vaccination for the bird flu, there...it was a little bizarre this period then, so ... I didn’t do it ... and why? I don’t know, because they said so many things about it that, well (P13).

 Trust in one’s physician -- specialist or general practitioner

...From the moment that the doctor told me, I’m giving you this medicine, it’s for this ... [...] so I trust the doctor... (P3).

If I had a problem, I would ask my doctor; she would give me a clear answer and then if it was serious, she would tell me or give me an alternative... (P14).

 Trust in vaccines because of trust in science to develop them

Fortunately vaccines exist for all diseases...it’s a good thing that the vaccines that researchers concoct for us protect us from all the crap that floats around! (P15).

 Suspicion about drugs and/or recourse to alternative medicine

No I don’t take anything, it’ll go away, and so I am opposed to any drug, whether it’s homeopathy or conventional... (P10).

I even look at other medicines, a lot at Chinese medicine... A lot of phytotherapy, a lot with essential oils... that is, in diabetics, as soon as they have a fever ... an antibiotic is prescribed... so I compensate for that with essential oils... (P3).

 Suspicion of vaccines because of mistrust of the pharmaceutical industry and/or French public health authorities

[Composition of vaccines] we don’t know what they put in them, we don’t know (P3).

And then there was that thing with H1N1, the ultimate, so I said no, no... but even before that I was doing it already because I didn’t perceive the utility, the need, and then after, it encouraged me in a... in the analysis that I’d done before… (P10).