The Relation of Parent and Provider Characteristics to Vaccination Status of Children in Private Practices and Managed Care Organizations in Maryland

Abstract

Family demographics strongly correlate with vaccination status; however, they are generally not modifiable. This study's findings encourage providers to operate a tracking system, to remain current on immunization recommendations, to use all clinical encounters to screen and vaccinate children, and to ensure the availability and convenience of vaccination services.

Parent‐dependent barriers to varicella immunization in Israel: the importance of adequate information

“…The immunization rate in susceptible children was regretfully low (34.1%), as reported in other studies in Israel (5,6). A recent study in Israel (20) found a lower rate of immunization in children from areas of lower socioeconomic status, in line with the reported correlations of lower immunization rates for varicella and other diseases with socioeconomic factors, such as low income and poverty (13,21), rural residence (13,22) and Hispanic and African–American background (23). Again, however, none of these studies identified parental education as a significant risk factor.…”

Spatial Accessibility to Providers and Vaccination Compliance Among Children With Medicaid

“…Our study population was intentionally limited to urban, low-income children because poverty and living in a city both are risk factors for noncompliance with vaccinations. 1,2,6,8 Our results, therefore, should not be extrapolated to higher income, suburban or rural families, who may travel farther for pediatric health care services.…”

“…Underimmunized children are more likely to be poor, 1,2 from single-parent households, 1 black, [2][3][4][5] and from inner cities. [6][7][8] These demographic characteristics also describe children who are less likely to have a regular source of primary care.…”

Underimmunization Among Children: Effects of Vaccine Safety Concerns on Immunization Status

“…Other studies failed to find this association. 17,22,23 However, those studies were small, each included children from a single metropolitan area, and questions about vaccine safety were very general. In contrast, children included in our study were randomly chosen from a national statistical sample, and interviews included specific questions on vaccine safety attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that had been cognitively pretested.…”

“…A study of 13-month-old children in a regional health maintenance organization found that independent predictors of delayed immunization included, among other factors, having a larger number of children and not having a regular doctor, 16 and a study of families in Baltimore found lower proportions of age-appropriate immunization among children with Ն2 siblings and children with Ն2 providers during their first 2 years of life. 17 The Vaccines for Children program was implemented in 1994 to make free vaccines available at private provider offices for low-income and uninsured children. Despite the tremendous success of that program, our results suggest that having Ն2 providers for vaccinations remains a problem.…”