“It’s Like 1998 Again”: Why Parents Still Refuse and Delay Vaccines

• Published in: Global pediatric health Vol. 8; p. 2333794X211042331
• Main Authors: Ugale, Jiana L., Spielvogle, Heather, Spina, Christine, Perreira, Cathryn, Katz, Ben, Pahud, Barbara, Dempsey, Amanda F., Robinson, Jeffrey D., Garrett, Kathleen, O’Leary, Sean T., Opel, Douglas J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 2021; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Original; Qualitative research; Vaccines; vaccine-preventable diseases; vaccines; health communication; public health; vaccination refusal
• ISSN: 2333-794X; 2333-794X
• DOI: 10.1177/2333794X211042331

We conducted a qualitative study from 2018 to 2019 to update the reasons why US parents’ refuse or delay vaccines. Four focus groups and 4 semi-structured interviews involving 33 primary care pediatric providers were conducted in Washington and Colorado. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes related to reasons for parental refusal or delay. Five predominant themes were identified: (1) vaccine safety, (2) relative influence of information sources, decision-makers, and timing, (3) low perceived risk of contracting vaccine-preventable disease, (4) lack of trust, and (5) religious objection. Vaccine safety was the theme mentioned most frequently by providers (N = 45 times by 26 providers) and religious objection to vaccination was referred to the least (N = 6 times by 6 providers). Provider-reported reasons for parental refusal or delay of childhood vaccines in 2018 to 2019 remain similar to those reported in previous studies.