Primary Care and Medical HomeExploring the Choice to Refuse or Delay Vaccines: A National Survey of Parents of 6- Through 23-Month-Olds
Section snippets
Study Sample and Response Rate
The sample was drawn from respondents to the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index survey (well-beingindex.com) who: (1) participated in Healthways during August 2009 to March 2010, (2) agreed to be re-contacted for additional surveys, and (3) were identified as having a child younger than age 2 years in the household. Healthways is a national telephone survey of adults that includes equal probability samples of list-assisted landline and wireless telephone numbers. For respondents who had a child
Demographics
Overall, the mean age of respondents was 32 years (95% CI, 32.0–32.8) (Table 1). Most respondents were women, non-Hispanic white, had completed some college or more, and lived in households with incomes ranging from $35,000 to $150,000. Among the children about whom the respondent reported vaccination choices, 33.3% (95% CI, 30.1%–35.8%) were aged 6 to 11 months, 32.8% (95% CI, 30.5%–35.2%) were aged 12 to 17 months, and 33.9% (95% CI, 31.5%–36.3%) were aged 18 to 23 months.
Children Who Had Received No Vaccines
Overall, 3.4% of
Discussion
This survey of parents and caregivers who were in the process of making choices to vaccinate their infants and toddlers during the first 2 years of life reveals that parents view vaccine communication with their child's doctor as an integral part of the process. The survey also reveals potential complexities in vaccine communication among doctors and parents. Our findings should reassure providers that vaccine communication remains effective, and examining potential complexities offers insights
Conclusion
Overall we found that most parents ask questions about vaccines and have the same general questions and concerns. However, parents who deviate from vaccination recommendations may choose to delay or reject any recommended vaccine, and they are more likely to approach vaccination with serious concerns about a vaccine and whether the child needs it. Thus, a targeted, one-on-one approach to communication is likely needed for many of these parents, but the time required may pose substantial
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the expertise provided by James Singleton, John Stevenson, and Pascale Wortley during the design of this study, and the expert guidance provided by Pascale Wortley during the preparation of the article. The authors also thank Michael Kelly for statistical support.
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The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.