Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014;10(9):2584-96.
doi: 10.4161/hv.28596. Epub 2014 Nov 13.

What are the factors that contribute to parental vaccine-hesitancy and what can we do about it?

Sarah E Williams  1
Affiliations
Review

What are the factors that contribute to parental vaccine-hesitancy and what can we do about it?

Sarah E Williams. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014.

Abstract

Parental refusal or delay of childhood vaccines is increasing. Barriers to vaccination among this population have been described, yet less is known regarding motivating factors. Researchers are beginning to evaluate various approaches to address the concerns of "vaccine-hesitant" parents, but few studies have evaluated the effect of interventions on timely vaccine uptake. Several models for communicating with vaccine-hesitant parents have been reported for healthcare providers; however, the effectiveness and utility of these strategies has not been quantified. This article reviews the known barriers to vaccination reported by vaccine-hesitant parents and the current evidence on strategies to address parental vaccine hesitancy.

Keywords: exemption; human papillomavirus, HPV; measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR); parents; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine refusal; vaccine-hesitant parents, VHPs; vaccines.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Omer SB, Pan WK, Halsey NA, Stokley S, Moulton LH, Navar AM, Pierce M, Salmon DA. Nonmedical exemptions to school immunization requirements: secular trends and association of state policies with pertussis incidence. JAMA 2006; 296:1757-63; PMID:17032989; http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.296.14.1757 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Safi H, Wheeler JG, Reeve GR, Ochoa E, Romero JR, Hopkins R, Ryan KW, Jacobs RF. Vaccine policy and Arkansas childhood immunization exemptions: a multi-year review. Am J Prev Med 2012; 42:602-5; PMID:22608376; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2012.02.022 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Robison SG, Groom H, Young C. Frequency of alternative immunization schedule use in a metropolitan area. Pediatrics 2012; 130:32-8; PMID:22711719; http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-3154 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Glanz JM, Newcomer SR, Narwaney KJ, Hambidge SJ, Daley MF, Wagner NM, McClure DL, Xu S, Rowhani-Rahbar A, Lee GM, et al. . A population-based cohort study of undervaccination in 8 managed care organizations across the United States. JAMA Pediatr 2013; 167:274-81; PMID:23338829; http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.502 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Vaccination coverage among children in kindergarten–United States, 2011-12 school year. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2012; 61:647-52; PMID:22914226 - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources