Kristine Sheedy1, Debbie A. Gust
2, Tara Strine
1, Husain Yusuf
3, and Ben Schwartz
4. (1) Vaccine Safety and Development Activity, CDC, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, MS E-61, Atlanta, GA, USA, (2) Vaccine Safety and Development Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-61, Atlanta, USA, (3) National Immunization Program / CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E52, Atlanta, Ga, USA, (4) Associate Director For Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIP, ESD, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, USA
KEYWORDS:
Immunization, Health Surveys
BACKGROUND:
Most parents report that they depend primarily on their child’s health care provider for immunization information. However, some parents also use other sources of information
OBJECTIVE:
To describe sources of immunization information used by parents of children who are missing two or more vaccines that have received some recent, negative public attention (DTaP, hepatitis B, MCV) (cases) and parents of children who are up-to-date for recommended vaccines (controls). Cases were further divided as those who asked their doctor or nurse not to give a vaccine to their child for a reason other than illness (case/decline) and those who did not make that request (case/other).
METHOD:
We surveyed a sample of households that participated in the National Immunization Survey during 2000-2001. Chi squared analyses and Z-score tests of proportions were used to determine differences in responses between case/decline and controls and case/other and controls.
RESULT:
Case/decline parents (n=55; 63.8%) reported obtaining information from persons or sources other than their child’s doctor or nurse significantly more than case/other parents (n=401; 29.8%) or controls (n=1009; 29.0%; p<0.05). There was no difference in the specific sources of information they used. Case/decline parents, though not case/other parents, were more likely than controls (p<0.05) to be concerned about immunization by information obtained through books, newspapers and magazines, the internet and other sources.
CONCLUSION:
Parents whose child missed two or more of the above vaccines can be segmented as those who request that their child not be vaccinated and others. The former group obtains immunization information from non-provider sources more than controls, and are made more concerned by this information. It may be beneficial for health care providers to explore why parents delay or forgo immunizations, identify the source(s) of parental concerns, and address any misinformation about immunizations found in print media, the internet and from other sources.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Describe effect of sources of information on two groups of parents whose child is missing 2 or more of the following vaccines: DTP, MMR and Hepatitis B.
See more of Is Underimmunization Related to Vaccine Safety Concerns? Results from the National Immunization Survey
See more of The 37th National Immunization Conference
