Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population
Understanding parental attitudes to their children’s vaccination is critical to developing and implementing interventions that address parents’ hesitancy and improve vaccine uptake. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey is a validated tool for identifying vaccine hesitancy in p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Pharmacy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/9/4/188 |
| _version_ | 1797501462020882432 |
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| author | Sarah Marshall Anne C. Moore Laura J. Sahm Aoife Fleming |
| author_facet | Sarah Marshall Anne C. Moore Laura J. Sahm Aoife Fleming |
| author_sort | Sarah Marshall |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding parental attitudes to their children’s vaccination is critical to developing and implementing interventions that address parents’ hesitancy and improve vaccine uptake. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey is a validated tool for identifying vaccine hesitancy in parents. We evaluated the rate of vaccine hesitancy and areas of concern regarding childhood vaccinations using an adapted version of the PACV survey, in a convenience sample of parents attending a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) outreach event in Ireland, in 2018. A score ≥ 50 identified vaccine hesitant parents. Of 105 parents who completed the survey, the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 6.7%, (7/105). Parents had concerns around vaccine side effects (36.2%, <i>n</i> = 38), vaccine safety (20%, <i>n</i> = 21) and the number of vaccines administered (13.3%, <i>n</i> = 14). Parents trusted the vaccine information they received (85.6%, <i>n</i> = 90) and 81.9% (<i>n</i> = 86) believed that the vaccine schedule was good for their child. The findings indicate the presence of vaccine hesitancy in parents in Ireland regarding paediatric vaccines with further research necessary to address parents’ vaccine concerns. Future research should explore further, by qualitative methods, parents’ vaccine concerns. There is also potential to identify vaccine hesitant parents with the PACV survey as a surveillance method in healthcare settings; for example, in community pharmacies, family doctor clinics and out-patient clinics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:18:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0c1811c23544f1a9374e27852197068 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:18:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacy |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0c1811c23544f1a9374e278521970682023-11-23T10:07:46ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872021-11-019418810.3390/pharmacy9040188Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish PopulationSarah Marshall0Anne C. Moore1Laura J. Sahm2Aoife Fleming3Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, IrelandSchool of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University College Cork, T12 XF62 Cork, IrelandPharmaceutical Care Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, IrelandPharmaceutical Care Research Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, IrelandUnderstanding parental attitudes to their children’s vaccination is critical to developing and implementing interventions that address parents’ hesitancy and improve vaccine uptake. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey is a validated tool for identifying vaccine hesitancy in parents. We evaluated the rate of vaccine hesitancy and areas of concern regarding childhood vaccinations using an adapted version of the PACV survey, in a convenience sample of parents attending a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) outreach event in Ireland, in 2018. A score ≥ 50 identified vaccine hesitant parents. Of 105 parents who completed the survey, the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 6.7%, (7/105). Parents had concerns around vaccine side effects (36.2%, <i>n</i> = 38), vaccine safety (20%, <i>n</i> = 21) and the number of vaccines administered (13.3%, <i>n</i> = 14). Parents trusted the vaccine information they received (85.6%, <i>n</i> = 90) and 81.9% (<i>n</i> = 86) believed that the vaccine schedule was good for their child. The findings indicate the presence of vaccine hesitancy in parents in Ireland regarding paediatric vaccines with further research necessary to address parents’ vaccine concerns. Future research should explore further, by qualitative methods, parents’ vaccine concerns. There is also potential to identify vaccine hesitant parents with the PACV survey as a surveillance method in healthcare settings; for example, in community pharmacies, family doctor clinics and out-patient clinics.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/9/4/188vaccinationvaccine hesitancyPACVparents’ beliefsimmunisation |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Marshall Anne C. Moore Laura J. Sahm Aoife Fleming Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population Pharmacy vaccination vaccine hesitancy PACV parents’ beliefs immunisation |
| title | Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population |
| title_full | Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population |
| title_fullStr | Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population |
| title_short | Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines: Point Prevalence Survey of Vaccine Hesitancy in an Irish Population |
| title_sort | parent attitudes about childhood vaccines point prevalence survey of vaccine hesitancy in an irish population |
| topic | vaccination vaccine hesitancy PACV parents’ beliefs immunisation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/9/4/188 |
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