Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to discuss racial/ethnic differences in parental immunization behaviors.

Background:
Racial/ethnic disparities in childhood immunization coverage may be influenced by differing parental immunization behaviors. Determining which behaviors differ can be beneficial to eliminating these disparities.

Objectives:
Examine differences in parental immunization behaviors by race and ethnicity.

Methods:
Data collected from the National Immunization Encounter Surveys were used for this analysis. Survey participants include a nationally-representative random sample of physicians who regularly immunize children < age 2 years, and parents of these children. In 2003 and 2004, surveys were completed by 1697 parents from 187 physician offices. Differences in immunization behaviors were analyzed by racial/ethnic groups (white, black, Hispanic, “other” including Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Eskimo-Aleut, Multi-race) using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

Results:
Black children were significantly more likely than white children (p<0.02) to be immunized during an acute illness visit. Among children with at least one prior vaccination, blacks were less likely than all other racial/ethnic groups to have received all immunizations at the recommended age (p<0.01). 18% of parents reported consulting with family or friends for vaccine information, with Hispanic parents doing so significantly more than white or black parents (p<0.002). Of all parents, 7% reported using the internet for vaccine information, with parents from “other” races significantly more likely than other racial/ethnic groups (p<0.003) to use this resource.

Conclusions:
Black children were more frequently immunized during an acute illness visit than white children, indicating that physicians may have taken advantage of these opportunities to immunize children not up-to-date for immunizations. Timely receipt of vaccinations differed by race/ethnicity, with black children more likely to have late or missed vaccinations. Limited internet use for vaccine information suggests that this resource is not currently fully utilized by parents.