PARENT PREFERENCES FOR VACCINE-PROMOTION MESSAGES

1. PARENT PREFERENCES FOR VACCINE-PROMOTION MESSAGES Linda Radecki, MS and Lynn M. Olson, PhD American Academy of Pediatrics, Department of Research, Elk Grove Village, IL ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE RESULTS RESULTS (con’t) I just thought it was very alarmist and negative…that might turn people off …it seems like it’s pressuring you…it’s saying vaccinate on time like it’s a demand It’s disturbing, putting children and dying in there…I don’t want to hear about my kid dying at all…nobody wants to hear that • Most valued messages that conveyed a pediatrician’s personal views on vaccines and facilitated discussion …like it’s a discussion…not the guilt, threat…a softer approach…like 2 adults are talking, not like someone is talking down at you …talk to me as a parent…that motherly intuition I’m not a pediatrician but I am a mother so I mean, I understand where she’s coming from • SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS • n=48 (47 mothers, 1 father); 44% first time parents • Race/ethnicity varied by group location (suburban: 88% white; urban: 54% African American, 38% Hispanic) • Education varied by group location (suburban: 88% ≥ 4-year degree; urban: 71% ≤ high school grad) • All children had received some/all recommended vaccines; several suburban parents reported delaying vaccines Background: Parents continue to question vaccine safety and efficacy and pediatricians continue to seek effective means to address these concerns. Little is known about parent preferences for communication regarding immunizations. Objective: Obtain diverse parent perspectives on pro-immunization messages. Design/Methods: Six focus groups (3 suburban Chicago; 3 inner-city Chicago). Parents of children ≤48 months were recruited through community flyers. Participants reviewed 5 messages; a standardized discussion guide elicited parent response. Sessions were transcribed for review of key themes. Based on primary theme conveyed, we categorized messages as scientific or emotional. Results:Sample: 48 parents; white (44%), African American (27%), Hispanic (27%); education varied by group location (suburban: 88% ≥4-yr degree; urban: 71% ≤ HS grad). 44% first-time parents. All children had received some/all recommended vaccines, but many parents expressed concerns about side effects, safety and the schedule. Scientific messages: Suburban groups valued emphasis on scientific studies but wanted further supporting evidence, ”...to me, facts are more important than emotions. I’d rather hear ‘we did a study and this is what turned out’” Inner city groups tended to question the legitimacy of studies “…they’re just giving you…a guess what they think,” “How do they know that babies’ bodies don’t get overloaded?” “…babies can’t tell us how they feel.” Emotional messages: Parents in all groups rejected perceived fear or manipulation. Messages citing death were largely viewed as inappropriate. ”...messages about kids should be more positive...” “I don’t want to hear about my kid dying at all.” A small subset of inner-city parents, however, endorsed such messages as being “straightforward” and without “sugarcoating.” Most parents valued messages that conveyed a pediatrician’s personal views on vaccines and facilitated discussion: ”...makes you feel like you and your pediatrician make the decision.” “…talk to me as a parent.” Conclusions:In general, parents across race/ethnicity and income groups rejected messages that evoked fear or guilt and lacked substantive/scientific explanation. Parents sought respect for their concerns and appreciated personal, non-threatening messages. Understanding family perspectives is crucial to strengthen public trust in immunizations. Further research among diverse groups and attention to the cultural appropriateness of messages is warranted. • Obtain parent perspectives on vaccine promotion messages DESIGN/METHODS 6 focus groups (3 suburban Chicago; 3 inner-city Chicago) Parents of children ≤48 months were recruited through community flyers Parents reviewed five vaccine-promotion messages Discussions lasted ~ 90 minutes; participants received $40 A standard list of questions elicited parent reactions Sessions were recorded/transcribed for review of key themes Based on the message conveyed, each message was categorized as primarily scientific (S) or emotional (E) • RESPONSE TO SCIENTIFIC MESSAGES • Parents in the suburban groups valued emphasis on scientific studies but wanted further supporting evidence …to me, facts are more important than emotions. I’d rather hear “we did a study and this is what turned out” My first reaction was “says who?” I’ve always been bothered by something that just says “scientific studies” or “new research” because that study could be a man in a basement that decided to do a study on 20 people • Parents in the urban groups tended to question the legitimacy of scientific studies How do they know that babies’ bodies don’t get overloaded?” …they could be wrong. I see pills or something coming all the time and then they’re recalling them back because they caused death or something …I can never be sure what scientific studies say because they might be saying that just to ease people’s fears RESPONSE TO EMOTIONAL MESSAGES • Parents in all groups rejected messages that used perceived fear or manipulation. Messages citing death were largely viewed as inappropriate in each group I thought it was kind of condescending, like you don’t have your child’s best thoughts in mind CONCLUSIONS • In general, parents across income groups rejected messages perceived as evoking fear or guilt and lacking substantive/scientificinformation • Parents sought respect for their concerns and information needs and valued personal, non-threatening messages • While most US parents continue to immunize their children, many likely have questions and concerns • Understanding family perspectives is crucial to strengthen public trust in vaccines • Greater attention to diverse groups and the cultural appropriateness of messages is warranted • Messages reviewed: • Scientific studies show that vaccines do not cause autism. • New research shows that autism may be caused by • genetics or being born prematurely. (S) • Babies’ bodies do not get overloaded by multiple vaccines. • Don’t put your child at risk by delaying immunizations. (S) • 3) Vaccinate on time, every time! Your child deserves it. (E) • Children still get sick and die from vaccine preventable • diseases. Don’t let your child be one of them. Vaccinate! • (E) • I'm a mother and I'm a pediatrician. I want what is best for • my child and my patients, that's why I recommend • vaccines. (E) BACKGROUND LIMITATIONS • Results are limited to one geographic area • Findings indicate the kinds of concerns parents might have; the degree of prevalence nationally is not known • Parent concerns regarding immunizations have been • documented (Gust et al, 2005, Am J Prev Med) • A recent study published found over 11% of parents had • refused at least one recommended vaccine (Freed et al, • 2009, Pediatrics) • Pediatricians seek to best address families’ information • needs but little is known about parent preferences for • vaccine-related communication ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Support for this project was provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics • For additional information about immunizations: http://www.aap.org/immunization