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
. 2015 Mar 30;33(14):1748-55.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.01.068. Epub 2015 Feb 7.

Vaccine hesitancy among parents of adolescents and its association with vaccine uptake

James R Roberts  1 , David Thompson  2 , Brianna Rogacki  2 , Jessica J Hale  2 , Robert M Jacobson  3 , Douglas J Opel  4 , Paul M Darden  2
Affiliations

Vaccine hesitancy among parents of adolescents and its association with vaccine uptake

James R Roberts et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Background: Addressing parental vaccine hesitancy may increase adolescent vaccination acceptance. However, no validated measure exists to identify parents hesitant toward adolescent vaccines.

Objective: To determine if a modified version of the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey, a previously validated tool to identify parental hesitancy toward vaccines in infants, predicts adolescent vaccine uptake at office visits.

Methods: We modified the PACV for use in the adolescent setting and distributed it to a convenience sample of parents of adolescents aged 11 to 17 presenting for care at a diverse group of six pediatric practices in Oklahoma and South Carolina. We determined the vaccination status of the parents' adolescents for 3 vaccines (Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis [Tdap], meningococcal conjugate [MCV4], and human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccines). We used Fisher's exact tests to compare vaccination status with each survey item and with an overall general hesitancy scale that we constructed.

Results: We analyzed 363 surveys. At the time of the visit, vaccination coverage was 84% for Tdap, 73% for MCV, and 45% for any dose of HPV. Thirty-nine percent of parents expressed concern about vaccine efficacy and 41% expressed concern about side effects. Forty-five percent of parents disagreed with the statement that "teens can get all of the vaccines that are due at a single visit." Two individual items were associated with not receiving a dose of HPV vaccine that was due. The overall modified PACV score failed to predict adolescent vaccine uptake at an office visit.

Conclusion: Several individual items were associated with vaccine uptake. The cumulative modified PACV, a general measure of vaccine hesitancy, was not associated with vaccination status despite illuminating parental hesitancy. We need to better understand vaccine-specific concerns for the adolescent population.

Keywords: Adolescent; Hesitancy; Immunization; Parent; Vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement

The remaining authors have no financial relationships or conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.

References

    1. Bilukha OO, Rosenstein N, National Center for Infectious Diseases CfDC, Prevention. Prevention and control of meningococcal disease. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2005;54(RR–7):1–21 (Centers for Disease Control; ). - PubMed
    1. Broder KR, Cortese MM, Iskander JK, Kretsinger K, Slade BA, Brown KH, et al. Preventing tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis among adolescents: use of tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccines recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2006;55(RR-3):1–34 (Centers for Disease Control; ). - PubMed
    1. Markowitz LE, Dunne EF, Saraiya M, Lawson HW, Chesson H, Unger ER, et al. Quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2007;56(RR-2):1–24 (Centers for Disease Control; ). - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National and state vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13–17 years—United States, 2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2013;62(34):685–93 (Epub 2013/08/30.). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Elam-Evans LD, Yankey D, Jeyarajah J, Singleton JA, Curtis RC, MacNeil J, et al. National, regional, state, and selected local area vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13–17 years—United States, 2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63(29):625–33 (Epub 2014/07/24.). - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances