Parents' confidence in recommended childhood vaccinations: Extending the assessment, expanding the context

ABSTRACT

There has been significant and growing interest in vaccine hesitancy and confidence in the United States as well as across the globe. While studies have used confidence measures, few studies have provided in-depth assessments and no studies have assessed parents' confidence in vaccines in relationship to other frequently recommended health-related products for young children. This study used a nationally representative sample of 1000 US parents to identify confidence levels for recommended vaccinations, antibiotics, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and vitamins for children. The analyses examined associations between confidence ratings, vaccination behaviors and intentions, and trust in healthcare provider, along with associations between confidence ratings and use of the other health-related products. Parents' confidence in vaccines was relatively high and high relative to antibiotics, OTC medicines and vitamins. For all 4 health-related products examined, past product experience and knowledge of bad or adverse outcomes negatively impacted parents' confidence levels. Confidence levels were associated with both trust in advice from their child's healthcare provider and acceptance of healthcare provider recommendations. Parents in some groups, such as those with lower income and education levels, were more likely to have less confidence not just in vaccines, but also in antibiotics and OTC medicines for children. Overall, the findings extend understanding of vaccine confidence, including by placing it into a broader context.

KEYWORDS:

• parental confidence
• vaccine acceptance
• vaccine beliefs and attitudes
• vaccine communication
• Vaccine confidence
• vaccine hesitancy

Abbreviations

NVAC	=	National Vaccine Advisory Committee
OTC medicine	=	over the counter medicine
SAGE	=	Strategic Advisory Group of Experts
US	=	United States

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Funding

Funding for this research was provided by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.