"I don't believe in needles": qualitative aspects of a study into the uptake of infant immunisation in two English health authorities

Abstract

This paper presents qualitative data to emerge from a largely quantitative case-control study of the uptake of infant immunisation in two District Health Authorities in the North West of England. It was hypothesised that problems arising from transport and time-space constraints would distinguish the parents of those children who had missed appointments from those who had attended. However, most of these difficulties were experienced equally by both groups and so could not solely account for different immunisation behaviour. Rather, the groups could be distinguished further by their differing attitudes towards, and knowledge of, infant immunisation based on a wide range of personal experiences. The paper argues that it is a mistake to label parental decision-making as 'irrational' when one takes into account the interaction between personal experience, differing levels of advice and the impact of constraints, notably gender role constraints, as they affect women with young children.