Scores on a survey to measure parental hesitancy about vaccinating their children were associated with immunization status, according to a study by Douglas J. Opel, MD, MPH, of the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens Research Institute, and colleagues.
Â
The Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines survey (PACV) was designed to identify parents who underimmunize their children. Researchers gave it to English-speaking parents of children ages 2 months old and born between July 10, 2010Â and Dec. 10, 2010, who belonged to an integrated healthcare delivery system in Seattle. The PACV was scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 indicating high hesitancy about vaccines. Childhood immunization status was measured as the percentage of days from birth to 19 months of age that children should have been immunized but were not.
Â
Higher survey scores were associated with more underimmunization. Parents who scored 50 to 69 on the survey had children who were underimmunized for 8.3 percent more days than parents who scored less than 50, and parents who scored 70 to 100 had children who were underimmunized 46.8 percent more days than children of parents who scored less than 50, according to the results.
Â
Our results suggest that PACV scores validly predict which parents will have underimmunized children, the study concludes.
Â
This study was supported by the Center for Clinical and Translational Research Mentored Scholar Program, Seattle Childrens Research Institute.
Reference: JAMA Pediatr. Published online Sept. 23, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2483.
Â
Â
Â
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.