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Emphasis on child’s direct benefit increased parents’ intent to vaccinate with MMR
Parents’ intentions to vaccinate their infants with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine increased if their physician emphasized benefits directly to the child, according to study findings in Pediatrics.
Kristin S. Hendrix, PhD, of Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, and colleagues evaluated variations of vaccine messages via a national online survey administered to parents of infants. Parents were randomized to receive one of the following vaccine messages: 1) the MMR Vaccine Information Statement (VIS); 2) VIS plus additional information about how the MMR vaccine directly benefits the child; 3) VIS plus additional information explaining the MMR vaccine’s benefits to society in general; or 4) VIS plus additional information emphasizing the MMR vaccine’s benefits directly to the child and to society.
Kristin S. Hendrix
Respondents (n=802) had a mean age of 29 years and were mostly mothers, white non-Hispanic, well-educated with a relatively high household income. Thirteen percent of parents reported they had ever refused a vaccine for their child. Forty-two percent of respondents said all their children had received all of the recommended vaccinations and immunizations, while 52% had no other children.
Overall, parents had high intentions to vaccinate their child with the MMR vaccine (M-M-R II, Merck). Analysis indicated that additional information on the MMR vaccine’s benefits to the child produced greater vaccine intentions. Additional information on the MMR vaccine’s benefits to the child and to society also produced greater vaccine intentions than VIS alone. However, receiving information on how the MMR vaccine benefits society did not produce greater vaccine intentions.
“With growing interest in childhood vaccine decision aids, evidence-based approaches are critical to ensuring effective communication about childhood vaccines. Moreover, this work suggests a pattern of parental focus on the child’s well-being, perhaps to the exclusion of concerns about population health,” the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.