Barbara H. Bardenheier, NIP/ISD/HSREB, CDC, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, MS-E52, Atlanta, GA, USA, Husain Yusuf, National Immunization Program / CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E52, Atlanta, Ga, USA, Ben Schwartz, Associate Director For Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIP, ESD, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, USA, Debbie A. Gust, Vaccine Safety and Development Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-61, Atlanta, USA, Lawrence E. Barker, National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-62, Atlanta, GA, USA, and Lance Rodewald, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Immunization Program, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS E-52, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
KEYWORD1:
vaccination, vaccine safety, parental concerns
BACKGROUND:
Although vaccination coverage in the U.S. is at near record highs, increased exposure to vaccine safety concerns may affect parental attitudes towards immunizations.
OBJECTIVE:
Identify parental perceptions about vaccine safety and their influence on the immunization status of children.
METHOD:
Case-control study: survey of sample of households participating in the 2000-2001 National Immunization Survey, which surveys a random-digit-dialing sample of U.S. children aged 19-35 months on a quarterly basis. Three groups of cases (not UTD) and controls (UTD) were analyzed: 1) Measles containing vaccines (MCV): cases received < 1 dose of vaccine; controls >= 1. 2) Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTP/DTaP): cases received 0-2 doses of vaccine; controls >= 3. 3) Hepatitis B: cases received 0-2 doses of vaccine; controls >= 3.
RESULT:
Household response rate was 52.1% (2,315/4,440). The vast majority of respondents (>90%) in all groups believed vaccinations are important. 53.5-64.1% of cases and controls in all groups expressed concern about vaccine safety to their doctor. There was no significant difference between concern and being UTD among any of the three antigens. In all three groups, parents of children not UTD were more likely to believe their children received too many vaccinations. Among the MCV group, few parents heard about an association between autism and MMR (7.9%), but it was one of the most frequently reported side effects respondents had heard about and children of parents who believed MCV caused autism were less likely to be UTD (2.1 vs 0.7%, c2 p-value=0.04).
CONCLUSION:
Strategies to address important misperceptions about vaccine safety and MMR causing autism need to be implemented to prevent decreased vaccination rates and increased risk of disease outbreaks. The perception that children receive too many shots may be at least partially alleviated through the technology of combination vaccines.
LEARNINGOBJECTIVES:
Understand parental concerns about vaccinations.
See more of Is Underimmunization Related to Vaccine Safety Concerns? Results from the National Immunization Survey
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