Emily K Brunson1. 1. Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA. Electronic address: ebrunson@txstate.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Continued parental acceptance of childhood vaccination is essential for the maintenance of herd immunity and disease prevention. As such, understanding parents' decision-making in relation to their children's vaccinations is vitally important. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study sought to develop an understanding of the general process parents go through when making decisions about their children's vaccinations. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with U.S.-born parents living in King County, Washington who had children ≤18 months of age. These interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS: Through the application of grounded theory, a general decision-making process was identified. Stages in this process included: awareness, assessing and choosing, followed by either stasis or ongoing assessment. The greatest variation occurred during the assessing stage, which involved parents examining vaccination-related issues to make subsequent decisions. This research suggests that three general assessment groups exist: acceptors, who rely primarily on general social norms to make their vaccination decisions; reliers, who rely primarily on other people for information and advice; and searchers, who seek for information on their own, primarily from published sources. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that one-size-fits-all approaches to vaccination interventions are inappropriate. Instead, this research suggests that interventions must be targeted to parents based on how they assess vaccination.
BACKGROUND: Continued parental acceptance of childhood vaccination is essential for the maintenance of herd immunity and disease prevention. As such, understanding parents' decision-making in relation to their children's vaccinations is vitally important. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study sought to develop an understanding of the general process parents go through when making decisions about their children's vaccinations. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with U.S.-born parents living in King County, Washington who had children ≤18 months of age. These interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS: Through the application of grounded theory, a general decision-making process was identified. Stages in this process included: awareness, assessing and choosing, followed by either stasis or ongoing assessment. The greatest variation occurred during the assessing stage, which involved parents examining vaccination-related issues to make subsequent decisions. This research suggests that three general assessment groups exist: acceptors, who rely primarily on general social norms to make their vaccination decisions; reliers, who rely primarily on other people for information and advice; and searchers, who seek for information on their own, primarily from published sources. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that one-size-fits-all approaches to vaccination interventions are inappropriate. Instead, this research suggests that interventions must be targeted to parents based on how they assess vaccination.
Authors: Leila C Sahni; Julie A Boom; Sarah S Mire; Leandra N Berry; Lauren R Dowell; Charles G Minard; Rachel M Cunningham; Robin P Goin-Kochel Journal: Child Health Care Date: 2020-03-17