Immunization Attitudes and Beliefs Among Parents: Beyond a Dichotomous Perspective

Countering Vaccine Hesitancy

“…The latter group refusing all vaccines is estimated at approximately 3% of parents, although the prevalence may vary geographically. 4,12,13 The concept that parental vaccine hesitancy is a spectrum has been confirmed in several studies 4,14,15 and was well described in a recent review by Leask et al 12 (Table 1). Some parents who totally refuse vaccines may be fixed and unswayable in their beliefs and may not respond to the pediatrician attempting to change their views.…”

Vaccine hesitancy

“…), Gust and collaborators have identified five types of parental attitudes regarding vaccination, in decreasingly positive order: the "immunization advocates," the "go alongs to get alongs," the "health advocates," the "fence-sitters" and the "worrieds." 27 Keane and collaborators have distinguished four parent profiles: the "vaccine believer" parents who were convinced of the benefits of vaccination, the "cautious" parents emotionally involved with their child and who have an hard time watching them being vaccinated, the "relaxed" parents who were characterized by some skepticism about vaccines and the "unconvinced" parents who distrusted vaccinations and vaccination policy. 30 Finally, based on a combination of mothers' actions and attitudes, Benin and collaborators have categorized the participants of their study into four categories: the "accepters" who agreed with or did not question vaccination, the "vaccine-hesitant" who accepted vaccination but had significant concerns about vaccinating their infants, are faced with.…”

“…The expression can be used to refer to a "gap resistance, most focusing on parental decision-making. 11,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29] For instance, Nichter has differentiated active demand for vaccinations-adherence by an informed public-from passive acceptance of vaccinations-compliance by a public which yields to recommendations and social pressure. 24 Looking at responses to 44 questions (related to, for example, belief in vaccination and vaccine safety, interest and involvement in health issues, influence of family and friends on vaccination decisions, etc.…”

Vaccine Attitudes, Concerns, and Information Sources Reported by Parents of Young Children: Results From the 2009 HealthStyles Survey

“…Past research reports have described parental vaccine attitudes as a spectrum rather than a dichotomy and have similarly suggested the need for communication approaches that recognize individual information needs. 20,25 For example, Gust et al 20 described some parents as "fence-sitters"-parents who are uncertain about whether the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks, although their children are currently being vaccinated. Another important aspect of ongoing research will be to continue to assess these subgroups of parents over time to find whether they grow in number, how their concerns change over time, and if these concerns are associated with vaccine delay or refusal.…”

“…7,[16][17][18][19] The vaccinerelated attitudes and beliefs of parents are also well documented. 2,[20][21][22][23][24][25] However, to communicate effectively with parents about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, it is necessary to assess their vaccine-related attitudes and concerns continually. Our objective with this analysis was to describe the vaccine-related attitudes, concerns, and information sources of US parents in 2009.…”