Daniel A Salmon1, Larry Moulton
2, Saad Omer
2, M. Patricia DeHart
3, Shannon Stokley
4, and Neal Halsey
2. (1) Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 5515, Baltimore, MD, USA, (2) Division of Disease Control, International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 5515, Baltimore, MD, USA, (3) Maternal and Child Health, Assessment Section, Washington State Department of Health, NewMarket Industrial Campus Bldg. 10, PO Box 47835, Olympia, WA, USA, (4) HSREB/ISD/NIP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-52, Atlanta, USA
BACKGROUND:
School immunization requirements have contributed to our success in controlling vaccine preventable diseases. Children with exemptions to school immunization requirements are at increased risk of acquiring and transmitting vaccine preventable diseases.
OBJECTIVE:
(1)To determine the reasons why parents claim non-medical exemptions; and
(2)To compare use and perceived credibility of sources of vaccine information among parents of exempt and vaccinated children.
METHOD:
The parents of 800 exempt children and 1600 vaccinated children, matched by grade, school and state, were surveyed in CO, WA, MA and MO.
RESULT:
Parents of exempt children perceived lower susceptibility and severity of vaccine preventable diseases, vaccine efficacy and safety, and reported lower trust in government and health care providers than parents of fully vaccinated children. Parents of exempt children were more likely to have vaccine misconceptions than parents of vaccinated children, although vaccine misconceptions were prevalent among both groups of parents. Both groups of parents received information about vaccines from a variety of sources, although parents of exempt children used more sources of information for vaccines than parents of vaccinated children. Parents of exempt children were more likely than parents of vaccinated children to consider alternative medicine practitioners as a good or excellent source for vaccine information. Parents of vaccinated children were more likely than parents of exempt children to consider health care providers, pharmacists, professional organizations, health departments, CDC, FDA, and vaccine companies as a good or excellent source for vaccine information.
CONCLUSION:
Parents who claim non-medical exemptions perceive the risks and benefits of vaccination differently than parents of children who are fully vaccinated. Vaccine risk communication programs need to address the concerns of parents who do not vaccinate their children as well as the general population who may hold misconceptions about immunizations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To understand why some parents claim non-medical exemptions and forgo vaccination for their children.