Files
Download Full Text (251 KB)
Abstract
In recent years, the number of parents who have declining vaccinations or instituting altered immunization schedules for their children has risen. This has caused an increased number of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. It has also threatened herd immunity, which provides a measure of protection for those who are susceptible to disease given enough people are vaccinated, as this hinders the spread of the disease. To combat this threat to herd immunity, it is becoming increasingly necessary to find a solution to the problem of increasing personal belief exemption.
I took a cause and effect approach in the way I researched the issue. I first analyzed the causes of vaccine-hesitancy. The overarching theme that emerged was that vaccine-hesitant parents believed that not enough attention was being paid to their child; doctors gave only general recommendations rather than specific ones. Then, I began exploring the way the problem was already being addressed. The two general methods were by incentivizing immunization or using tailored techniques. Incentivizing vaccination was found to be much less effective because it doesn’t address the concerns of the parents, and because most vaccine-hesitant parents are adamant in their beliefs. Tailoring information to give to parents is the more effective method because it alleviates the concerns of vaccine-hesitant parents, causing them to reevaluate their beliefs. However, in order for this method to be effective, healthcare workers must have greater education regarding vaccine risks and side effects as well as addressing these concerns in an effective manner.
Publication Date
2015
Keywords
Vaccine, Vaccination. Vaccine-Hesitant, Immunization
Disciplines
Public Health Education and Promotion
Current Academic Year
Freshman
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Faye Prichard
Rights
© The Author(s)