Parental Vaccine Safety Concerns in 2009
The national survey examines parental opinions on vaccine safety. Most parents agreed that vaccines protect children from diseases. However, it finds that more than 1 in 10 parents have refused a vaccine over worries about safety, and more than half of the respondents expressed concerns regarding serious adverse effects. Twenty-five percent of those agreed with the proposition that "some vaccines cause autism in healthy children."
Women were more likely to be concerned about serious adverse effects and to have ever refused a vaccine for their children. Hispanic parents were more likely than white or black parents to report that they generally follow their doctor's recommendations about vaccines for their children and were less likely to have ever refused a vaccine. Hispanic parents were also more likely to be concerned about serious adverse effects of vaccines and to believe that some vaccines cause autism.
The survey, conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan, concludes that although information is available to address many vaccine safety concerns, such information is not reaching many parents in an effective or convincing manner.
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics, a publication by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
