Research articleParent Attitudes Toward Immunizations and Healthcare Providers: The Role of Information
Introduction
We have entered a new era of immunizations in the United States. Most parents have little or no firsthand knowledge of the diseases that childhood vaccines prevent and many physicians have not cared for children with vaccine-preventable diseases. Moreover, because of high immunization coverage and an expanded childhood immunization schedule, reports of post-immunization adverse events, both vaccine related and coincidental, have increased 46% for children aged ≤6 years of age from 1991 to 2001 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], unpublished data, 2005). This has contributed to an increased focus on vaccine safety.1
Associated with the decline in disease prevalence is an increase in the visibility and perhaps number of advocacy groups that question the safety of vaccines. The internet has helped to promote the messages of these groups. In assessing the likelihood of finding an antivaccination site on the internet, Davies et al.2 found that of 100 sites that carried vaccination messages, 43% were antivaccination, as defined by emphasizing the dangers of vaccination or encouraging vaccination refusal. Concurrently, there has been a changing culture of physician-patient interaction wherein most people want to be informed about their illnesses.3 Providing information has been shown to be one factor in positively influencing a sense of control in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,4 while conversely, lack of information in patients with cancer may cause anxiety and negative treatment outcomes.5
Because of the above factors associated with this new era, healthcare providers need to understand if patients or their parents are satisfied with the immunization information they receive. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify the proportion of parents who agreed, were neutral, and disagreed that they had access to enough immunization information to make a decision about immunizing their child; (2) examine how parents who agreed and parents who disagreed that they had access to enough information differed regarding sociodemographic characteristics, and their attitudes about immunizations, their child’s healthcare provider, immunization requirements/exemptions, and immunization policymakers; and (3) identify whether differences existed among parents who agreed, were neutral, and who disagreed that they had access to enough information regarding their specific immunization concerns.
Section snippets
Surveys
Data are based on responses to questions administered through the 2003 HealthStyles mail survey. HealthStyles has been administered every year since 1995 by Porter Novelli, a public relations firm, as a follow-up survey to consumer mail panel surveys (e.g., ConsumerStyles), and takes place during July and August.6 The ConsumerStyles survey covers a wide variety of consumer behaviors including shopping habits, media choices, and general health attitudes, while the HealthStyles survey supplements
Response Rate
The response rate for the 2003 ConsumerStyles survey was 59% (5873/10,000), and for the 2003 HealthStyles survey was 69% (4035/5845) (Figure 1). The smaller denominator for the HealthStyles survey was caused by attrition (e.g., some respondents were lost because they moved between surveys). Parents who had at least one child aged ≤6 years numbered 642 (weighted) (15.9% of sample).
Parents and Perceived Access to Enough Immunization Information
Responses to the question of interest, “I have access to all the information I need to make good decisions about
Discussion
This study found that 67% of parents agreed that they had access to enough information to make a good decision about immunizing their children. However, this study also found that 33% of parents disagreed or were neutral. As the findings repeatedly illustrated, a number of important and significant differences existed between parents who believed that they had access to enough information to make a good decision about immunizing their children and parents who did not.
These differences in
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2023, Pediatric Clinics of North America