Why parents refuse childhood vaccination: a qualitative study using online focus groups

Harmsen, Irene A.; Mollema, Liesbeth; Ruiter, Robert A. C.; Paulussen, T.G.W.M.; Melker, Hester E. de; Kok, Gerjo

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-1183

Cited by 143 publications

(173 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Among the main factors that discourage parents from having their babies immunized is the perception that the child is not vulnerable (Harmsen et al, 2013). Some respondents who had older children who were not immunized and did not contract notable communicable diseases erroneously assumed that susceptibility to disease follows a predictable pattern; this antecedent effect can lead them to regard immunization as pointless.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and Cultural Factors Influencing Immunization of Children in Rural Abia State, Nigeria

Nwokocha

Obioma

2016

IJCYFS

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Abstract:The role of adequate and timely immunization in the reduction of infant and childhood mortality cannot be overstated, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, anchored in the Health Belief Model and Rational Choice Theory, investigated the sociocultural factors influencing childhood immunization in the rural state of Abia, Nigeria, an area with a high infant mortality rate. A multistage sampling technique involving the random selection of 3 communities in Bende Local Government Area and the purposive selection of 433 respondents with children under the age of 5 was adopted. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 respondents -3 health personnel, 3 traditional birth attendants, 4 community leaders (2 men and 2 women), 2 church representatives, and the head of the health department in the local government headquarters. Findings reveal that the majority of respondents had heard about childhood immunization and largely understood its essence. Religious beliefs and the mother's economic activities (especially when market day coincides with immunization day) were identified as major influences on immunization. More attention should be directed to providing adequate education for rural dwellers on the importance of immunization for childhood mortality reduction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and Cultural Factors Influencing Immunization of Children in Rural Abia State, Nigeria

Nwokocha

Obioma

2016

IJCYFS

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“…Other studies reported that participants believed that vaccine preventable diseases are not dangerous [147,148,150] but instead are beneficial for child development [149,150]. Some also believed that risks of vaccination outweigh benefits [147,150,154]. Studies found that interviewed participants reported inadequate information and evidence [143,144,147,153] and disagreements between experts on vaccine safety [144].There were beliefs that vaccines do not work or have a short duration of protection [143,146,150,154], supporting the perception that vaccines are not useful [146,153,154].…”

Section: Childhood Vaccinationmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Eleven articles studied concerns about childhood vaccination in general [143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154]. The most common concerns were about adverse reactions [144][145][146][147][148][150][151][152][153][154].…”

Section: Childhood Vaccinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The benefit of the doubt or doubts over benefits? A systematic literature review of perceived risks of vaccines in European populations

Karafillakis

Larson

2017

Vaccine

249

206

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Findings: A total of 145 articles were selected, most of which were conducted in the UK, the Netherlands and France and studied seasonal influenza, HPV and pandemic influenza vaccination. Across all countries and vaccines, the primary area of concern was vaccine safety, followed by perceptions of low likelihood of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), perceived low severity of VPDs, beliefs that vaccines do not work, and overall lack of information. Concerns were found to be vaccine-, country-and populationspecific. Conclusion: In addition to identifying concerns about vaccination in Europe, this study confirmed the notion that individuals have many safety concerns about vaccination and often believe that the risks of vaccination outweigh their benefits. More research needs to be conducted to explore the impact of different types of communication strategies, which would frame the benefits of vaccination as well as risks of not vaccinating. Strategies to better inform public perceptions of vaccines should include the provision of unbiased, comprehensive information tailored to population information needs, and delivered using multiple and new communication technologies such as social media.

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“…The groupness evident in these studies -and others -pertains to people orienting their attitudes based on those around them (Benin et al, 2006, Harmsen et al, 2013. While historically this has relied upon physical proximity or tangible relationships, the internet and social media have opened up avenues for geographically disaggregated individuals to connect around ideas and practices (Sobo et al, 2016).…”

Section: A Critical Appraisal Of Literature Pertaining To Vaccine Hesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting as politics: social identity theory and vaccine hesitant communities

Attwell

Smith

2017

IJHG

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework for understanding the identity politics associated with parental hesitancy and refusal of vaccines for their children (“vaccine hesitancy or refusal” or “VHR”). Understanding these identity politics helps policymakers to craft appropriate communication interventions that do not make the problem worse. Design/methodology/approach Social identity theory is a way of understanding how group identities develop around the lifestyle practices that often include refusal to vaccinate, and how this group identity is accentuated by conflict with the pro-vaccinating societal mainstream. This paper critically appraises existing studies of VHR to explore this groupness across many different contexts. Findings Groupness is evident across many different contexts. There are also key group characteristics: preference for natural birth and breastfeeding, nature as a concept and use of complementary and alternative medicine. Research limitations/implications The paper is speculative and theoretical, using existing sources. Future studies will need to demonstrate empirically with new data. However, this theoretical approach sets up a new research agenda. Social implications These findings can help governments and policymakers minimise social conflict that risks further polarising vaccine conversations and wedging parents on the fence. Originality/value This paper argues that the decision to vaccinate or not is an inherently social one, not a matter of pure individual rationality. This is a novel approach to engaging with what is often characterised and studied as an individual decision.

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Why parents refuse childhood vaccination: a qualitative study using online focus groups

Cited by 143 publications

References 28 publications

Social and Cultural Factors Influencing Immunization of Children in Rural Abia State, Nigeria

Social and Cultural Factors Influencing Immunization of Children in Rural Abia State, Nigeria

The benefit of the doubt or doubts over benefits? A systematic literature review of perceived risks of vaccines in European populations

Parenting as politics: social identity theory and vaccine hesitant communities

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