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Majority of parents unaware of teen's incomplete vaccination status
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Despite data supporting inadequate vaccination among adolescents, especially ones that require multiple doses such as meningitis, more than 90% of parents believe that their teenager had received all vaccinations necessary for their age, according to a C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll.
“In the United States, vaccines have long been recommended for babies and at kindergarten entry; more recently, several vaccines have been recommended for the adolescent age group,” Sarah J. Clark, MPH, a research scientist from the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation at the University of Michigan, and colleagues wrote. “However, data from the CDC indicate that national vaccination rates are well below public health targets, particularly those that require more than one dose, such as meningitis, human papillomavirus and annual influenza shots.”
To understand current parental understanding of vaccine recommendations for teenagers, a poll was conducted through the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. The poll focused on vaccination for teenagers between 13 and 17 and included a national sample of parents.
Most parents had reported that their adolescent child had definitely (79%) or probably (14%) had all vaccinations recommended for their age, despite 36% of parents not knowing when their child is due for their next vaccine. The rest believed their child was due for their next vaccine within the next year (19%) or in more than a year (26%). One in five parents believed their teenager needed no more vaccines (19%).
The main way that parents knew about upcoming vaccinations was through the doctor’s office, from either a scheduled appointment (44%), it was mentioned during a visit (40%) or a reminder was sent (11%). Rarely would a notice be sent from the school (10%), health plan (1%) or the public health department (0.3%). A large number (10%) were not aware of how to be notified about upcoming vaccinations.
"Parents rely on child health providers to guide them on vaccines in childhood and during the teen years,” Clark said in a press release. “Given the general lack of awareness about adolescent vaccines shown in this poll, there is a clear need for providers to be more proactive for their teen patients.” — by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: The researchers provide no relevant financial disclosures.
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