BACKGROUND:
The conceptual model for immunization practice includes an assessment of vaccine coverage. Results from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) have indicated that only 20.4% of parents of adolescents can locate an immunization record. More vaccines for adolescents will be available in the future.

OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study was to compare two methods to determine adolescent immunization rates.

METHOD:
A retrospective adolescent school record review was conducted and compared with a retrospective telephone survey for MMR, Td, Hepatitis B, DTaP and IPV. Following approval by and coordination with school health nurses, the two methods were conducted with consenting students/parents in three high schools in the Midwest. The study population was 3,248 ninth, eleventh and twelfth graders for the record review (2002) and 2,219 tenth and twelfth grade student/parent dyads for the telephone survey (2003). A random sample of 75 records per grade was used in the record review. A total of 909 dyads consented for the telephone survey.

RESULT:
Of the 675 records reviewed, 99.6% had evidence of MMR, Td, Hepatitis B, DTaP and IPV. Of the 909 dyads in the telephone survey, only 99 provided immunization data and 27 (2.97%) actually had an immunization record at the time of the call.

CONCLUSION:
Determining adolescent vaccine coverage will be a challenge for our health care system. The time and effort to determine coverage using telephone surveys is not efficient. It was concluded that adolescent school immunization records were a good source for vaccination information. Telephone surveys, such as in this study and the NHIS, yield limited data.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Describe methods to assess adolescent immunization rates.
Compare two methods for determining adolescent immunization rates.