1
|
McKeithen MC, Gilkey MB, Kong WY, Oh NL, Heisler-MacKinnon J, Carlson R, James G, Grabert BK. Policy Approaches for Increasing Adolescent HPV Vaccination Coverage: A Systematic Review. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023064692. [PMID: 38623635 PMCID: PMC11035154 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT US jurisdictions have enacted a wide range of policies to address low human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage among adolescents, but it is unclear which policies are effective. OBJECTIVE To systematically review the impact of governmental policies on adolescent HPV vaccination coverage. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. STUDY SELECTION Eligible studies, published from 2009 to 2022, evaluated the impact of governmental policies on HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents ages 9 to 18. DATA EXTRACTION Two investigators independently extracted data on study sample, study design and quality, policy characteristics, and HPV vaccination outcomes. We summarized findings by policy type: school-entry requirements (SERs), federally-funded policies related to the Vaccines for Children program and Medicaid, educational requirements, and others. RESULTS Our search yielded 36 eligible studies. A majority of studies evaluating HPV vaccine SERs found positive associations between SERs and HPV vaccination coverage (8 of 14), particularly for SERs in Rhode Island and Washington, DC. All studies evaluating SERs for other adolescent vaccines observed positive spillover effects for HPV vaccination (7 of 7). Federally-funded policies related to Vaccines for Children and Medicaid were consistently associated with higher HPV vaccination coverage (7 of 9). Relatively few studies found associations between educational requirements and HPV vaccination coverage (2 of 8). LIMITATIONS Studies used limited vaccination data sources and non- or quasi-experimental designs. Some studies had no or poorly matched comparison groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest promise for SERs and federally-funded policies, but not educational requirements, for increasing HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Melissa B. Gilkey
- Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
| | | | - N. Loren Oh
- Gillings School of Global Public Health
- School of Medicine
| | | | - Rebecca Carlson
- Health Sciences Library
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Greeshma James
- Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Brigid K. Grabert
- Department of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Shah S, Brumberg HL. Advocate to vaccinate: moving away from the "politics" of vaccination. Pediatr Res 2024; 95:1168-1171. [PMID: 38337042 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03043-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Shetal Shah
- Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
| | - Heather L Brumberg
- Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
McKeever R, Sundstrom B, Rhodes ME, Ritter E, McKeever BW. "A Victim of Our Own Success:" Testing Jenny's First Sleepover's Dark Satire to Improve Attitudes Toward Childhood Vaccination. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38514995 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2024.2330121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantially lower uptake of childhood vaccinations in the U.S. As vaccination rates struggle to rebound, childhood vaccine hesitancy continues to grow. Addressing vaccine disinformation and increasing catch-up vaccination is an urgent public health priority. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of "Jenny's First Sleepover," a darkly humorous satirical book about childhood vaccinations, to influence attitudes of vaccine hesitant parents. This study implemented a randomized pretest - posttest experimental design using a web-based survey with one intervention and one control. "Jenny's First Sleepover" improved attitudes toward vaccination among vaccine hesitant parents. Negative emotions were an important mediator of attitudes toward vaccinations. Findings identify mechanisms that increase effectiveness of satirical approaches, including the presentation of novel information about serious vaccine-preventable diseases with a dark narrative twist. Health communicators may consider a darkly humorous satirical approach to improve attitudes toward childhood vaccination among vaccine hesitant parents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert McKeever
- Department of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Alabama
| | | | | | | | - Brooke W McKeever
- Department of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Alabama
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Youssef A, Ulloa L. Ethical and Legal Debates on Vaccine Infodemics. Cureus 2024; 16:e52566. [PMID: 38371094 PMCID: PMC10874613 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the course of three and a half years, the global toll of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has claimed the lives of millions of individuals. Scientific breakthroughs, exemplified by mRNA vaccines, have emerged as crucial tools in saving numerous lives and fortifying our defenses against future pandemics. However, the battle against the virus has been complicated by the dissemination of misleading political and ethical information, resulting in avoidable fatalities. Recognizing this phenomenon, the term 'infodemics' has been coined to denote the proliferation of false or misleading information that hinders effective social responses. Given the historical prevalence of infodemics surrounding vaccinations, this discussion delves into the ongoing ethical and legal deliberations concerning vaccination mandates, an indispensable health intervention in the face of pandemics. Governments bear the responsibility of safeguarding their citizens, acknowledging the social requirements imposed by the collective well-being. The protection of both citizens and healthcare workers becomes paramount, considering the potential risks of infection and mortality associated with individuals refusing vaccination. Historically, governments have played a pivotal role in eradicating pandemics through the implementation of vaccine mandates. However, the contemporary landscape is marked by the infusion of political and misleading misinformation, presenting new challenges. Governments are now confronted with an ethical duty to ensure that citizens possess the necessary information to make informed decisions and safeguard their well-being. While grappling with the realization that extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary responses, the lessons from past pandemics underscore the imperative of prioritizing public health, especially in the context of the high numbers of casualties worldwide. This discourse explores the ethical and legal dimensions surrounding vaccine mandates, with particular emphasis on their relevance to healthcare workers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayman Youssef
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| | - Luis Ulloa
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
McNally K, Weinstein A, Lindley L, Wallin R, Roess A. A Multilevel Analysis of School-Level Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Coverage in Virginia. J Sch Nurs 2023:10598405231214981. [PMID: 38031333 DOI: 10.1177/10598405231214981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
School nurses improve public health through vaccine promotion and mandate compliance. Despite recommendations and support for comprehensive adolescent HPV vaccination from organizations like the National Association of School Nurses as of 2023 only Virginia, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and Hawaii mandate HPV vaccine in schools. Virginia's mandate allows caregivers to opt out of vaccination. It is important to consider how school-level vaccine compliance is associated with school and community factors. A multilevel analysis explored the association between school and county-level factors and HPV vaccination rates. This study shows schools that report higher rates of economically disadvantaged students had higher HPV vaccine coverage. HPV vaccine rates increased from 2019 to 2021 after the implementation of a gender-inclusive mandate. Virginia HPV rates still lag behind states with no mandate. The results suggest that school nursing practice related to HPV vaccine compliance may be impacted by community factors like economic status.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly McNally
- Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University College of Public Health, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Ali Weinstein
- Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University College of Public Health, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Lisa Lindley
- Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University College of Public Health, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Robin Wallin
- Alexandria City Public Schools, Alexandria, VA, USA
| | - Amira Roess
- Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University College of Public Health, Fairfax, VA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Affiliation(s)
- Katie Attwell
- VaxPolLab, School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Moore TP, Bennett JC, Graff K, Rao M, Augusto O, Chu HY, Wagenaar BH, Bell TR. State Policy Removing the Personal Belief Exemption for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) School Immunization Requirement, Washington State, 2014-2022. Am J Public Health 2023; 113:795-804. [PMID: 37200605 PMCID: PMC10262239 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2023.307285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Objectives. To assess the impact of Washington State's 2019 Engrossed House Bill (EHB) 1638-which removed measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) personal belief exemptions-on MMR vaccine series completion and exemption rates in K-12 students. Methods. We used interrupted time-series analyses to examine changes in MMR vaccine series completion rates before and after EHB 1638 was passed and the χ2 test for differences in exemption rates. Results. EHB 1638 implementation was associated with a 5.4% relative increase in kindergarten MMR vaccine series completion rates (95% confidence interval = 3.8%, 7.1%; P ≤ .001), and results were similar with Oregon as a control state (no change observed in Oregon; P = .68). MMR exemptions overall decreased 41% (from 3.1% in 2018-2019 to 1.8% in 2019-2020; P ≤ .001), and religious exemptions increased 367% (from 0.3% to 1.4%; P ≤ .001). Conclusions. EHB 1638 was associated with an increase in MMR vaccine series completion rates and a decrease in any MMR exemption. However, effects were partially offset by an increase in religious exemption rates. Public Health Implications. Removal of personal belief exemptions for the MMR immunization requirement only may be an effective approach to increase MMR vaccine coverage rates statewide and among underimmunized communities. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(7):795-804. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307285).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler P Moore
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Julia C Bennett
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Katherine Graff
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Mayuree Rao
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Orvalho Augusto
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Helen Y Chu
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Bradley H Wagenaar
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Teal R Bell
- Tyler P. Moore, Katherine Graff, and Teal R. Bell are with the Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater. Julia C. Bennett, Mayuree Rao, Orvalho Augusto, and Bradley H. Wagenaar are with the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle. Helen Y. Chu is with the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Muravsky NL, Betesh GM, McCoy RG. Religious Doctrine and Attitudes Toward Vaccination in Jewish Law. JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2023; 62:373-388. [PMID: 34708328 PMCID: PMC8549591 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01447-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Individual and herd immunity against communicable diseases requires high rates of timely and complete vaccination, particularly in closely knit communities, densely populated areas, and places with high influx of potentially infected individuals. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 and, previously, measles in religious Jewish communities of New York, as well as the rise of vaccine hesitancy in faith communities, call for the examination of Jewish attitudes toward vaccination. In this article, we examine religious doctrine and guidance on vaccination in Orthodox (including Modern Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavich, and Ultra-Orthodox), Conservative, and Reform denominations of Judaism and apply these principles to vaccinations against measles, human papillomavirus (HPV), and COVID-19. We found that the leaders and scholars in these three major denominations of Judaism are uniform in their strong support, often to the point of mandate, for the principles of vaccination. Support for vaccination is deeply rooted in the Torah, Jewish law, and contemporary rulings of poskim (Jewish legal scholars). These principles are applied by each denomination in strong support of measles and COVID-19 vaccination, though there is less certainty in their support of vaccination against HPV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Grace M Betesh
- Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Rozalina G McCoy
- Division of Community Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Rochester, MN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Opel DJ, Brewer NT, Buttenheim AM, Callaghan T, Carpiano RM, Clinton C, Elharake JA, Flowers LC, Galvani AP, Hotez PJ, Schwartz JL, Benjamin RM, Caplan A, DiResta R, Lakshmanan R, Maldonado YA, Mello MM, Parmet WE, Salmon DA, Sharfstein JM, Omer SB. The legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic for childhood vaccination in the USA. Lancet 2023; 401:75-78. [PMID: 36309017 PMCID: PMC9605265 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01693-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J Opel
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA; Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Noel T Brewer
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Alison M Buttenheim
- Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Center for Health Incentives, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Behavioral Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Timothy Callaghan
- Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Chelsea Clinton
- Clinton Foundation, New York, NY, USA; Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jad A Elharake
- Yale Institute for Global Health, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lisa C Flowers
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alison P Galvani
- Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA; Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jason L Schwartz
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Arthur Caplan
- New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Renee DiResta
- Stanford Internet Observatory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Michelle M Mello
- Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Health Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Wendy E Parmet
- Center for Health Policy & Law, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel A Salmon
- Institute for Vaccine Safety, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joshua M Sharfstein
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Saad B Omer
- Yale Institute for Global Health, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale School of Nursing, Orange, CT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Newcomer SR, Glanz JM, Daley MF. Beyond Vaccination Coverage: Population-Based Measurement of Early Childhood Immunization Schedule Adherence. Acad Pediatr 2023; 23:24-34. [PMID: 35995410 PMCID: PMC10253042 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The immunization schedule recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) provides a structure for how 10 different vaccine series should be administered to children in the first 18 months of life. Progress toward US early childhood immunization goals has largely focused on measuring vaccination coverage at age 24 months. However, standard vaccination coverage measures do not reflect whether children received vaccine doses by recommended ages, or whether vaccines were given concomitantly, per the schedule. In this paper, we describe innovations in population-level measurement of immunization schedule adherence through quantifying vaccination timeliness and undervaccination patterns. Measuring vaccination timeliness involves comparing when children received vaccine doses relative to ACIP age recommendations. To assess undervaccination patterns, children's vaccination histories are analyzed to determine whether they were vaccinated consistent with the ACIP schedule. Some patterns, such as spreading out vaccines across visits, are indicative of parental hesitancy. Other patterns, such as starting all recommended series but missing doses, are largely indicative of other immunization services delivery challenges. Since 2003, at least 12 studies have used National Immunization Survey-Child, immunization information system, or integrated health plan data to measure vaccination timeliness or undervaccination patterns at national or state levels. Moving forward, these novel measures can be leveraged for population-based surveillance of vaccine confidence, and for distinguishing undervaccination due to parental vaccine hesitancy from undervaccination due to other causes. Broader adoption of these measures can facilitate identification of targeted strategies for improving timely and routine early childhood vaccination uptake across the United States.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia R Newcomer
- University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences (SR Newcomer), Missoula, Mont; University of Montana Center for Population Health Research (SR Newcomer), Missoula, Mont.
| | - Jason M Glanz
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Institute for Health Research (JM Glanz, MF Daley), Aurora, Colo; University of Colorado, Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology (JM Glanz), Aurora, Colo
| | - Matthew F Daley
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Institute for Health Research (JM Glanz, MF Daley), Aurora, Colo; University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics (MF Daley), Aurora, Colo
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Hsu C, Evers S, Ibrahim A, Patricia M, Throne P, Melton M, Marcuse EK, Ali A, Dunn J, Hofstetter AM. Sometimes Your Heart Says 'I Don't Know': Insights From Parents of Undervaccinated Children. Acad Pediatr 2023; 23:57-67. [PMID: 36228981 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2022.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE To explore drivers of suboptimal vaccination rates by understanding why parents without strong antivaccine beliefs do not fully vaccinate their children. METHODS Four focus groups were conducted in Washington state with 41 parents of children aged 24 to 48 months who delayed, declined, or missed some but not all vaccines. During the focus groups, parents were asked about reasons their child was undervaccinated, information that might address their concerns, and additional support they needed. Transcripts were analyzed using template analysis with deductive and inductive codes. RESULTS Focus groups identified multiple reasons for parents deciding to delay or decline vaccines for their children, including issues of individualism and control. The groups emphasized the impact of personal circumstances, such as changes in insurance, on whether children were vaccinated. Our data also shed light on the reasons that parents do vaccinate their children, including school vaccination requirements, negative experiences with vaccine-preventable diseases, and a family tradition of vaccinating. Focus group participants offered suggestions for improving vaccine communication with parents such as having more parent/patient-friendly vaccine information, providing forums to discuss their concerns, and offering vaccination information in advance of well-child appointments. CONCLUSIONS To achieve the full benefit of vaccines on individual and community health, we need better ways to address vaccine hesitancy and decrease barriers. We suggest that many hesitant parents would benefit from more dialog with health care providers about vaccines, more approachable educational materials, and enforcement of existing policies requiring vaccines in schools and childcare facilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa Hsu
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (C Hsu, S Evers, and J Dunn), Seattle, Wash.
| | - Sarah Evers
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (C Hsu, S Evers, and J Dunn), Seattle, Wash
| | - Anisa Ibrahim
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine (A Ibrahim, EK Marcuse, and AM Hofstetter), Seattle, Wash; Somali Health Board (A Ibrahim and A Ali), Tukwila, Wash
| | - M Patricia
- Washington State Department of Health (M Patricia deHart, P Throne, and AM Hofstetter), Tumwater, Wash
| | - Paul Throne
- Washington State Department of Health (M Patricia deHart, P Throne, and AM Hofstetter), Tumwater, Wash
| | | | - Edgar K Marcuse
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine (A Ibrahim, EK Marcuse, and AM Hofstetter), Seattle, Wash; Seattle Children's Research Institute (EK Marcuse), Seattle, Wash
| | - Ahmed Ali
- Somali Health Board (A Ibrahim and A Ali), Tukwila, Wash
| | - John Dunn
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (C Hsu, S Evers, and J Dunn), Seattle, Wash
| | - Annika M Hofstetter
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine (A Ibrahim, EK Marcuse, and AM Hofstetter), Seattle, Wash; Washington State Department of Health (M Patricia deHart, P Throne, and AM Hofstetter), Tumwater, Wash
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Calo WA, Lennon RP, Ruffin Iv MT, Keller C, Spanos K, D'Souza G, Kraschnewski JL. Support for HPV vaccine school-entry requirements in the United States: The role of exemption policies. Vaccine 2022; 40:7426-7432. [PMID: 36030125 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In the United States (U.S.), only five states or territories require human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for school attendance, even though almost all U.S. jurisdictions have debated adopting this type of policy. In this U.S. based study, we sought to estimate the level of support for HPV vaccine school-entry requirements with varying exemption policies and documentation procedures to obtain exemptions. Between July and August 2019, we conducted a web-based survey with a national sample of 1,109 U.S. parents of 11- to 17-year-olds. The survey assessed support for four school-entry vaccine requirement policies: without exemption or with exemption for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. Analyses used multivariable logistic regression to assess correlates of support for each policy. Overall, 38% of parents agreed with laws requiring HPV vaccination for school attendance without exemptions. When including exemption provisions, agreement increased to 45% for philosophical reasons, 50% for religious reasons, and 59% for medical reasons. Parents more often agreed on requirements without any exemptions if they were female (OR = 1.37, 95% CI:1.01-1.87), their child had initiated HPV vaccination (OR = 2.05, 95% CI:1.50-2.87), reported high levels of vaccine confidence (OR = 2.41, 95% CI:1.77-3.27), or reported having values similar to those of the people in their community (OR = 1.85, 95% CI:1.39-2.47). Parents more often agreed with requirements that included religious or philosophical exemptions if they reported having values similar to their community or high levels of psychological reactance (all p <.05). Many parents also supported requiring a written notice signed by a health care provider (40%) or religious leader (49%) to obtain a medical or religious exemption, respectively. In conclusion, exemption policies greatly increase parent support of school-entry requirements for HPV vaccination but may decrease their impact in practice. A large number of U.S. parents support strict documentation to obtain exemptions, signaling a promising area of policymaking to strengthen vaccine policies for school attendance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William A Calo
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA; Department of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
| | - Robert P Lennon
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Mack T Ruffin Iv
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Chelsea Keller
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Katherine Spanos
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Gail D'Souza
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Jennifer L Kraschnewski
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA; Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Marlowe E, Pranikoff S, Borsheim B, Salafian K, Halvorson EE, Kram DE. Pilot study to determine effect of an altruism intervention focusing on herd immunity to enhance influenza vaccination rates. Vaccine 2022; 40:6625-6630. [PMID: 36210252 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.09.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A prospective, single-arm clinical trial was conducted to evaluate an altruism-tailored educational intervention to improve parental attitudes and vaccine uptake in vaccine-hesitant parents. METHODS Vaccine-hesitant parents at two primary care sites, spanning two influenza seasons from 2020 to 2021 were provided an intervention (spoken and written communication) which highlighted altruistic benefits of accepting the seasonal influenza vaccine to optimize herd immunity to help protect pediatric cancer patients. Eligible parents included those with children eligible for the seasonal influenza vaccine, those who were proficient in English, and those with scores on the adjusted Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (aVHS) suggesting vaccine hesitancy (score ≥ 3). Enrollees completed a demographic questionnaire, underwent the educational intervention, and repeated the aVHS. Vaccination status at that visit was assessed. The primary outcome was change in aVHS scores obtained pre- and post-intervention. Influenza vaccine acceptance, along with demographic information, were also analyzed. RESULTS We enrolled 510 parents of influenza vaccine eligible children and identified 73 vaccine-hesitant parents. There was an overall trend toward lower aVHS score, with a mean change in hesitancy score of -0.4 (P < 0.01). 43/73 (58.9 %) of the cohort experienced a positive effect toward a lower aVHS score, and 27/73 (37.0 %) of vaccine hesitant subjects became non-hesitant on the aVHS. Several demographic characteristics were associated with vaccine hesitancy in the screening population: educational level lower than bachelor's degree (p = 0.03), household income < 400 % of federal poverty level (p < 0.01), unmarried (p = 0.02), and identifying with a political affiliation other than Democrat (p < 0.01). However, no demographic characteristics were significantly associated with an individual becoming non-hesitant. Our altruism-tailored communication approach carried the largest positive impact on the altruism-specific question on the aVHS, decreasing the post-intervention response value by nearly 25 % (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Our altruism-tailored communication approach significantly improved attitudes regarding childhood influenza vaccine among vaccine-hesitant parents. CLINICALTRIALS gov Identifier: NCT04568590.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Marlowe
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 1 Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Sarah Pranikoff
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 1 Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Briana Borsheim
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, 225 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Kiarash Salafian
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, 1215 Lee St, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Halvorson
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 1 Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - David E Kram
- Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 170 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Naqvi OH, Wendelboe AM, Burnsed L, Mannell M, Janitz A, Natt S. Evaluating the Accuracy of the Annual Statewide Kindergarten Vaccination Survey Submitted to Public Health Authorities by School Systems, Oklahoma, 2018. J Sch Nurs 2022:10598405221130701. [PMID: 36221975 DOI: 10.1177/10598405221130701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent trends in vaccine hesitancy have brought to light the importance of using accurate school vaccination data. This study evaluated the accuracy of a pilot statewide kindergarten vaccination survey in Oklahoma. School vaccination and exemption data were collected from November 2017 to April 2018 via the Research Electronic Data Capture system. A multivariable linear regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between students who are up to date for all vaccines comparing school reported and Oklahoma State Department of Health-validated data. Adjusted vaccination data were overestimated by 1.0% among public schools and 3.3% among private schools. These results were validated by a random audit of participating schools finding the school-reported vaccination data to be overestimated by 0.6% compared to true student immunization records on file. Our analysis indicates that school-reported vaccination data are sufficiently valid. Immunization record audits provide confidence in available data, which drives evidence-based decision-making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ozair H Naqvi
- 6192Acute Disease Service, The Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
- 51166Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Aaron M Wendelboe
- 51166Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Laurence Burnsed
- 6192Acute Disease Service, The Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Mike Mannell
- 6192Acute Disease Service, The Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Amanda Janitz
- 51166Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Stephanie Natt
- 6192Acute Disease Service, The Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Trends in Vaccine Refusal and Acceptance Using Electronic Health Records from a Large Pediatric Hospital Network, 2013-2020: Strategies for Change. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10101688. [PMID: 36298553 PMCID: PMC9610983 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding trends in vaccine refusal is critical to monitor as small declines in vaccination coverage can lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Using electronic heath record (EHR) data from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s 31 outpatient primary care sites, we created a cohort of 403,448 children less than age 20 years who received at least one visit from 1 January 2013 through 31 December 2020. The sample represented 1,449,061 annualized patient and 181,131 annualized preventive vaccination visits per year. We characterized trends in vaccine refusal and acceptance using a repeated cross-sectional observational analysis of electronic health records (EHR) data using a single annual merged observation measure for patients seen multiple times for preventive healthcare within a calendar year. Refusals were identified for 212,900 annualized patient-visit year observations, which represented 14.6% of annualized patient-visit year observations and 25.1% of annualized vaccine patient-year observations. The odds of having a refusal marker were significantly increased in patients seen in suburban practices (aOR [CI]: 2.35 [2.30−2.40, p < 0.001]), in patients with increased age 11−17 years (aOR [CI]: 3.85 [3.79−3.91], p < 0.001), and those eligible for the VFC program (aOR [CI]: 1.10 [1.08−1.11]. Parental refusal (61.0%) and provider decisions (32.0%) were the most common documented in progress notes for not administering vaccines, whereas contraindications (2.5%) and supply issues (1.8%) were the least common. When offered, vaccine acceptance increased for human papillomavirus, hepatitis B, measles-mumps-rubella-containing and varicella-containing vaccines and decreased for hepatitis A and meningococcal vaccines. Repeated offering of vaccines was central to increasing acceptance, in part due to increased opportunities to address specific concerns.
Collapse
|
16
|
Mello MM, Opel DJ, Benjamin RM, Callaghan T, DiResta R, Elharake JA, Flowers LC, Galvani AP, Salmon DA, Schwartz JL, Brewer NT, Buttenheim AM, Carpiano RM, Clinton C, Hotez PJ, Lakshmanan R, Maldonado YA, Omer SB, Sharfstein JM, Caplan A. Effectiveness of vaccination mandates in improving uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in the USA. Lancet 2022; 400:535-538. [PMID: 35817078 PMCID: PMC9270060 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)00875-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Mello
- Stanford Law School, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Health Policy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; School of Medicine, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Douglas J Opel
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA; Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Timothy Callaghan
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Renee DiResta
- Stanford Internet Observatory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jad A Elharake
- Yale Institute for Global Health and Department of Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Yale School of Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lisa C Flowers
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alison P Galvani
- Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel A Salmon
- Institute for Vaccine Safety, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jason L Schwartz
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Noel T Brewer
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Alison M Buttenheim
- Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, and Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Chelsea Clinton
- Clinton Foundation, New York, NY, USA; Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, MA, USA; Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA; Hagler Institute for Advanced Study and Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Rekha Lakshmanan
- James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; The Immunization Partnership, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yvonne A Maldonado
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Saad B Omer
- Yale Institute for Global Health and Department of Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Yale School of Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale School of Nursing, Orange, CT, USA
| | - Joshua M Sharfstein
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Arthur Caplan
- Langone School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Marshall GS, Fergie J, Presa J, Peyrani P. Rationale for the Development of a Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine: A US-Focused Review. Infect Dis Ther 2022; 11:937-951. [PMID: 35357651 PMCID: PMC8969818 DOI: 10.1007/s40121-022-00609-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
While invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is uncommon, it can result in serious sequelae and even death. In 2018 in the United States, the incidence of IMD per 100,000 people was 0.03 among adolescents 11−15 years of age, 0.10 among persons 16−23 years of age, and 0.83 among infants < 1 year of age. Serogroup B accounted for 86%, 62%, and 66% of cases, respectively, in those age groups. Currently, routine meningococcal vaccination covering serogroups ACWY (MenACWY) is recommended in the United States for all adolescents at 11−12 years of age, with a booster dose at 16 years of age, whereas a meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccine series is recommended for persons 16−23 years of age under the shared clinical decision-making paradigm. The MenACWY vaccination program in adolescents has been successful in reducing disease burden, but does not prevent disease caused by serogroup B, which accounts for more than half of IMD cases. There are currently no approved vaccines that cover all of the most common disease-causing meningococcal serogroups, which are A, B, C, W, and Y. A pentavalent MenABCWY vaccine that is constituted from 2 licensed meningococcal vaccines—MenB-FHbp and MenACWY-TT—is being investigated in healthy persons ≥ 10–25 years of age. The addition of a MenABCWY vaccine is the next natural step in the incremental meningococcal immunization program in the United States to improve protection against the most common serogroup causing IMD, with no increase in the number of immunizations needed. With high uptake, routine use of MenABCWY could reduce IMD cases and associated mortality, the rate of long-term physical and psychosocial sequelae in survivors, and costs associated with controlling outbreaks, particularly on college campuses. A MenABCWY vaccine would also reduce the number of injections required for adolescents, potentially improving compliance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gary S. Marshall
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Norton Children’s and University of Louisville School of Medicine, 571 S. Floyd St, Suite 321, Louisville, KY 40202 USA
| | - Jaime Fergie
- Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Corpus Christi, TX USA
| | - Jessica Presa
- Vaccines Medical Development & Scientific/Clinical Affairs, Pfizer Inc, Collegeville, PA USA
| | - Paula Peyrani
- Vaccines Medical Development & Scientific/Clinical Affairs, Pfizer Inc, Collegeville, PA USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
An Informed Approach to Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake in Children. Dela J Public Health 2022; 8:60-64. [PMID: 35402930 PMCID: PMC8982918 DOI: 10.32481/djph.2022.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
|
19
|
Bernstein HH, McNally VV, Orenstein WA. Is It Time for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Vaccine Mandates? J Pediatr 2022; 242:235-237. [PMID: 34788680 PMCID: PMC8590634 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henry H. Bernstein
- Department of Pediatrics, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY,Reprint requests: Henry H. Bernstein, DO, MHCM, FAAP, 410 Lakeville Rd, Suite 311, New Hyde Park, NY 11042
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Patel KM, McFadden SM, Mohanty S, Joyce CM, Delamater PL, Klein NP, Salmon DA, Omer SB, Buttenheim AM. Evaluation of Trends in Homeschooling Rates After Elimination of Nonmedical Exemptions to Childhood Immunizations in California, 2012-2020. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2146467. [PMID: 35107573 PMCID: PMC8811639 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.46467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In 2015, California passed Senate Bill No. 277 (SB 277) and became the first state in more than 30 years to eliminate nonmedical exemptions to mandatory childhood immunizations for school entry. One concern that emerged was that the law created an incentive for parents to remove children from brick-and-mortar schools to bypass the immunization requirements. OBJECTIVE To assess the trends in homeschooling rates after the elimination of nonmedical exemptions to the requirement of childhood immunizations for school entry. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This preintervention-postintervention cross-sectional study calculated homeschooling rates as the number of students in kindergarten through grade 8 (K-8) enrolled through each of California's 3 homeschooling mechanisms (independent study program, private school affidavit, and private school satellite program) divided by all K-8 students enrolled in the same academic year. Data on homeschooling rates were obtained from the California Department of Education. Interrupted time series analyses were conducted using a linear regression model in which the outcome variable was the percentage of students enrolled in a homeschool program before and after SB 277. Data were collected and analyzed from October 3, 2012, to October 2, 2019. INTERVENTION Passage of SB 277, which eliminated nonmedical exemptions to childhood immunizations for school entry. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Homeschooling rates for K-8 students. RESULTS Among the students included in the analysis, the homeschooling enrollment for K-8 students in California increased from 35 122 students (0.8%) during the 2012-2013 school year to 86 574 students (1.9%) during the 2019-2020 school year; however, the implementation of SB 277 was not associated with an increase in the percentage of students enrolled in homeschooling programs in California beyond the secular trend. The increase in homeschooling was greatest for the lower grade levels: kindergarten homeschooling enrollment increased from 2068 students (0.4%) in the 2012-2013 school year to 10 553 students (1.9%) in the 2019-2020 school year, whereas the grade 8 homeschool enrollment rate increased from 5146 students (1.0%) in the 2012-2013 school year to 10 485 students (2.0%) in the 2019-2020 school year. Independent study programs accounted for 20 149 students (45.3%) of homeschooling enrollment, private school affidavits accounted for 19 333 students (43.5%), and private school satellite programs accounted for 4935 students (11.1%) during the 2015-2016 school year. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The findings of this study suggest that legislative action to limit nonmedical exemptions for compulsory vaccination for school entry is not associated with removal of students from classroom-based instruction in brick-and-mortar institutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kavin M Patel
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - SarahAnn M McFadden
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Institute for Global Health, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Salini Mohanty
- Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Caroline M Joyce
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Paul L Delamater
- Department of Geography and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill
| | - Nicola P Klein
- Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, California
| | - Daniel A Salmon
- Institute for Vaccine Safety, Departments of International Health and Health Behavior Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Saad B Omer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale Institute for Global Health, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Alison M Buttenheim
- Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Stein RA, Ometa O, Broker TR. COVID-19: The Pseudo-Environment and the Need for a Paradigm Change. Germs 2021; 11:468-477. [PMID: 35096665 DOI: 10.18683/germs.2021.1283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Stein
- MD, PhD, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Oana Ometa
- PhD, Department of Journalism and Digital Media, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Thomas R Broker
- PhD, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0024, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
El-Mohandes A, White TM, Wyka K, Rauh L, Rabin K, Kimball SH, Ratzan SC, Lazarus JV. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among adults in four major US metropolitan areas and nationwide. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21844. [PMID: 34737319 PMCID: PMC8569192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00794-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This study assesses attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and the predictive value of COVID-VAC, a novel scale, among adults in the four largest US metropolitan areas and nationally. A 36-item survey of 6037 Americans was conducted in mid-April 2021. The study reports factors for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among: (1) already vaccinated; (2) unvaccinated but willing to accept a vaccine; and (3) unvaccinated and unwilling to vaccinate. More than 20% were unwilling to vaccinate, expressing concerns about vaccine efficacy and safety and questioning the disease's severity. Poverty, working outside of the home and conservative political views are predictors of unwillingness. Conversely, those who either personally tested positive for COVID-19, or had a family member who did so, were more likely to accept vaccination. Majorities of all respondents supported vaccination mandates for employees and university students. Respondents preferred to receive vaccines in their doctor´s office. Lower income and conservative ideology, but not race, were strongly associated with vaccine unwillingness. The predictive value of COVID-VAC was demonstrated. While vaccination mandates are likely to be accepted, additional effective, targeted interventions to increase vaccine uptake are needed urgently.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayman El-Mohandes
- Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, USA
| | - Trenton M White
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Katarzyna Wyka
- Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, USA
| | - Lauren Rauh
- Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, USA
| | - Kenneth Rabin
- Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Scott C Ratzan
- Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey V Lazarus
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We reviewed the literature about parental vaccine hesitancy, focusing on publications from October 2019 to April 2021 to describe patterns and causes of hesitancy and interventions to address hesitancy. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies expand understanding of the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy globally and highlight associated individual and contextual factors. Common concerns underlying hesitancy include uncertainty about the need for vaccination and questions about vaccine safety and efficacy. Sociodemographic factors associated with parental vaccine hesitancy vary across locations and contexts. Studies about psychology of hesitancy and how parents respond to interventions highlight the role of cognitive biases, personal values, and vaccination as a social contract or norm. Evidence-based strategies to address vaccine hesitancy include presumptive or announcement approaches to vaccine recommendations, motivational interviewing, and use of immunization delivery strategies like standing orders and reminder/recall programs. A smaller number of studies support use of social media and digital applications to improve vaccination intent. Strengthening school vaccine mandates can improve vaccination rates, but policy decisions must consider local context. SUMMARY Vaccine hesitancy remains a challenge for child health. Future work must include more interventional studies to address hesitancy and regular global surveillance of parental vaccine hesitancy and vaccine content on social media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Cataldi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine
- Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science (ACCORDS), University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Sean T O'Leary
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine
- Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science (ACCORDS), University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Clark SJ, Wells K. Data-Driven Assessment of Nonmedical Vaccination Exemption Can Guide Public Health Response. Pediatrics 2021; 148:peds.2021-050445. [PMID: 34404741 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-050445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Clark
- Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Katelyn Wells
- Association of Immunization Managers, Rockford, Maryland
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Garbinsky D, Hunter S, La EM, Poston S, Hogea C. State-Level Variations and Factors Associated with Adult Vaccination Coverage: A Multilevel Modeling Approach. PHARMACOECONOMICS - OPEN 2021; 5:411-423. [PMID: 33860921 PMCID: PMC8333180 DOI: 10.1007/s41669-021-00262-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adult vaccination rates in the USA are generally low and fall short of public health goals. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to evaluate the effect of state-level characteristics on adult vaccination coverage in the USA. METHODS This study was a cross-sectional, retrospective analysis of 2015-2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, conducted from March to October 2019 and including seasonal influenza; pneumococcal; tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap); and herpes zoster (HZ) vaccines. Multilevel logistic regression models examined interstate vaccination coverage variability and assessed the impact of state-level characteristics, with model-adjusted coverage estimated. RESULTS Model-adjusted vaccination coverage varied by state, with 35.1-48.1% coverage for influenza (2017), 68.2-80.8% for pneumococcal (2017), 21.9-46.5% for Tdap (2016), and 30.5-50.9% for HZ (2017). Characteristics associated with vaccination included state-level insurance coverage, pharmacists' vaccination authority, vaccination exemptions, and adult immunization information systems participation, as well as individual-level measures of income and education. After adjusting for these factors, substantial interstate heterogeneity remained. CONCLUSIONS Model-adjusted coverage was generally low and varied by state. A small number of state-level characteristics partially explained interstate coverage variability. This and future research assessing additional state characteristics may help determine policies most likely to increase adult vaccination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diana Garbinsky
- RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Shannon Hunter
- RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA
| | | | - Sara Poston
- GSK, 5 Crescent Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19118, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Masters NB, Zelner J, Delamater PL, Hutton D, Kay M, Eisenberg MC, Boulton ML. Evaluating Michigan's Administrative Rule Change on Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions. Pediatrics 2021; 148:peds.2021-049942. [PMID: 34404742 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-049942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Vaccine hesitancy is a growing threat to health in the United States. Facing the fourth highest vaccine exemption rate in the United States in 2014, Michigan changed its state Administrative Rules, effective January 1, 2015, requiring parents to attend an in-person vaccine education session at their local health department before obtaining a nonmedical exemption (NME). In this article, we evaluate the longer-term impact of this policy change on the rate, spatial distribution, and sociodemographic predictors of NMEs in Michigan. METHODS Using school-level kindergarten vaccination data from Michigan from 2011 to 2018, we evaluated sociodemographic predictors of NMEs before and after this Administrative Rule change using Bayesian binomial regression. We measured the persistence and location of school district-level geographic clustering using local indicators of spatial association. RESULTS Immediately after the rule change, rates of NMEs fell by 32%. However, NME rates rebounded in subsequent years, increasing by 26% by 2018, although income disparities in NME rates decreased after the rule change. Philosophical, religious, and medical vaccine exemptions exhibited distinct geographic patterns across the state, which largely persisted after 2015, illustrating that NME clusters remain a concern despite this rule change. CONCLUSIONS Although Michigan's Administrative Rule change caused a short-term decline in NME rates, NME rates have risen dramatically in the following 4 years since the policy was implemented. Michigan's administrative effort to require parental education at the local health department before receiving an exemption did not cause a sustained reduction in the rate or spatial distribution of NMEs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jon Zelner
- Departments of Epidemiology.,Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health
| | - Paul L Delamater
- Department of Geography.,Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - David Hutton
- Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Matthew Kay
- Department of Computer Science, McCormick School of Engineering.,Department of Communication Studies, School of Communication, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Odone A, Dallagiacoma G, Frascella B, Signorelli C, Leask J. Current understandings of the impact of mandatory vaccination laws in Europe. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:559-575. [PMID: 33896302 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1912603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Vaccinations are among the most successful preventive tools to protect collective health. In response to alarming vaccines preventable diseases (VPDs) outbreaks resurgence, decreased vaccination coverage and vaccine refusal, several European countries have recently revised their vaccination policies introducing or extending mandatory vaccinations. This review examines the health, political and ethical aspects of mandatory vaccination.The authors first clarify terms and definitions and propose a conceptual framework of mandatory policies. Second, they describe the current status of mandatory childhood immunization programmes in Europe, assessing selected mandatory laws. Third, as the authors conduct a systematic review of the literature (retrieving from Medline 17 relevant records between 2010 and 2020), they take an analytical approach to measure the impact of mandatory vaccination policies on both VPDs control and immunization coverage, but also on population attitudes toward vaccines. 40% of European countries currently have mandatory vaccination policies; however, policies vary widely and, although there is evidence of increased vaccine uptake, their impact on informed adherence to preventive behaviors is scant.Although mandatory vaccination policies might be needed to protect collective health in times of emergency, public health goals of VPD prevention and health promotion should primarily be pursued through health education and population empowerment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Odone
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giulia Dallagiacoma
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Signorelli
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Julie Leask
- Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery. Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Richardson E, Ryan KA, Lawrence RM, Harle CA, Desai SM, Livingston MD, Rawal A, Staras SAS. Increasing awareness and uptake of the MenB vaccine on a large university campus. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021; 17:3239-3246. [PMID: 34076556 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1923347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: At a large public university, we aimed to evaluate an intervention designed to increase serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine uptake and awareness.Methods: Using a pretest-posttest design with a double posttest, we evaluated an intervention conducted by a local foundation and the Florida Department of Health that distributed MenB vaccine on campus and conducted an educational campaign. Prior to intervention activities, we recruited students to complete a survey about their MenB knowledge and attitudes. For survey participants who provided contact information, we sent two follow-up surveys and assessed MenB vaccine records. We used chi-square tests, adjusted for nonindependence, to compare preintervention to postintervention (three-month and one-year) vaccination and attitudes.Results: Among the 686 students with accessible vaccine records, MenB vaccine initiation increased 9% (from 24% to 33%) and completion increased 8% (from 13% to 21%) from before the intervention to one year after the intervention. When restricting to students who completed the relevant follow-up surveys, the percentage of students who heard of the MenB vaccine increased by 15% (p > .001) from before the intervention to three months after (n = 188 students) and maintained a 10% increase (p > .001) one year after the intervention (n = 261 students). Among students that heard of the MenB vaccine, the percentage of students who thought they needed the MenB vaccine even though they received the MenACWY increased 14% (p = .03) by the three-month postintervention survey and up to 18% by the one-year follow-up (p = .002).Conclusions: A university-wide, on-campus vaccination and educational campaign increased college students' MenB vaccine initiation, completion, and knowledge.Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT02975596.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Richardson
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kathleen A Ryan
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert M Lawrence
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Christopher A Harle
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Shivani M Desai
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Stephanie A S Staras
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.,The Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
How Public Health Professionals View Mandatory Vaccination in Italy-A Cross-Sectional Survey. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9060580. [PMID: 34205959 PMCID: PMC8228801 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9060580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In response to the decline in child vaccination coverage and the subsequent occurrence of large vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, in 2017 Italy introduced a new law that made ten vaccines mandatory for children aged 0-16 years. The policy change initiated an ongoing debate among the general public, as well as in the political arena and the scientific community, over this major public health concern. Hence, we conducted a survey aimed at assessing Italian public health professionals' attitudes towards and opinions on mandatory vaccination. A validated online questionnaire was administered to 1350 members of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Among the 1044 responders (response rate 77%), a large majority were in favour of the Italian mandatory vaccination law (91%) and against its repeal (74%). Nevertheless, according to our sample, maintaining a high level of vaccination coverage without the need to mandate would be preferable, and thus efforts to promote vaccine confidence and proactive vaccine uptake are still needed.
Collapse
|
30
|
Masters NB, Delamater PL, Boulton ML, Zelner J. Measuring Multiple Dimensions and Indices of Nonvaccination Clustering in Michigan, 2008-2018. Am J Epidemiol 2021; 190:1113-1121. [PMID: 33305789 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Michigan experienced a significant measles outbreak in 2019 amidst rising rates of nonmedical vaccine exemptions (NMEs) and low vaccination coverage compared with the rest of the United States. There is a critical need to better understand the landscape of nonvaccination in Michigan to assess the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in the state, yet there is no agreed-upon best practice for characterizing spatial clustering of nonvaccination, and numerous clustering metrics are available in the statistical, geographical, and epidemiologic literature. We used school-level data to characterize the spatiotemporal landscape of vaccine exemptions in Michigan for the period 2008-2018 using Moran's I, the isolation index, the modified aggregation index, and the Theil index at 4 spatial scales. We also used nonvaccination thresholds of 5%, 10%, and 20% to assess the bias incurred when aggregating vaccination data. We found that aggregating school-level data to levels commonly used for public reporting can lead to large biases in identifying the number and location of at-risk students and that different clustering metrics yielded variable interpretations of the nonvaccination landscape in Michigan. This study shows the importance of choosing clustering metrics with their mechanistic interpretations in mind, be it large- or fine-scale heterogeneity or between- and within-group contributions to spatial variation.
Collapse
|
31
|
To QG, Stanton R, Khalesi S, Williams SL, Alley SJ, Thwaite TL, Fenning AS, Vandelanotte C. Willingness to Vaccinate against COVID-19 Declines in Australia, Except in Lockdown Areas. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9050479. [PMID: 34068479 PMCID: PMC8150580 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9050479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates changes in willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 and the effect of the extended restrictions in metropolitan Victoria on this change. Longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional data were collected from online surveys distributed in April, between July and August, and December 2020. Australian adults who were ≥18 years old were recruited through email lists, social media networks, and paid Facebook advertisement. Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 was self-reported. The results showed that participants were more willing to vaccinate if the vaccine was safe at survey 1 (longitudinal: adjusted OR (aOR) = 1.88, 95%CI = 1.38, 2.56; cross-sectional: aOR = 3.73, 95%CI = 2.55, 5.45) and survey 2 (longitudinal: aOR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.19, 2.00; cross-sectional: aOR = 2.48, 1.67, 3.67), compared to survey 3. The change in willingness to vaccinate if the vaccine was safe and effective was not significant for those in Metropolitan Victoria; but was for those living in other Australian locations at survey 1 (OR = 2.13, 95%CI = 1.64, 2.76) and survey 2 (OR = 1.62, 95%CI = 1.30, 2.01), compared to survey 3. Willingness to vaccinate even if a vaccine had not been proven safe decreased at survey 3 (OR = 2.02, 95%CI = 1.14, 3.57) for those living in Metropolitan Victoria. In conclusion willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 decreased over time among Australians, except for those living in metropolitan Victoria, where an additional strict and prolonged lockdown was implemented around the time of survey 2. Either the experience of the lockdown, or the presence of the COVID-19 virus itself had a positive influence on participants' willingness to vaccinate, even if such a vaccine was not yet proven to be safe and effective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quyen G. To
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-7-4930-6456
| | - Robert Stanton
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
| | - Saman Khalesi
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
| | - Susan L. Williams
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
| | - Stephanie J. Alley
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
| | - Tanya L. Thwaite
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
| | - Andrew S. Fenning
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia;
| | - Corneel Vandelanotte
- Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton 4701, Australia; (R.S.); (S.K.); (S.L.W.); (S.J.A.); (T.L.T.); (C.V.)
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
To QG, To KG, Huynh VAN, Nguyen NTQ, Ngo DTN, Alley SJ, Tran ANQ, Tran ANP, Pham NTT, Bui TX, Vandelanotte C. Applying Machine Learning to Identify Anti-Vaccination Tweets during the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:4069. [PMID: 33921539 PMCID: PMC8069687 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18084069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Anti-vaccination attitudes have been an issue since the development of the first vaccines. The increasing use of social media as a source of health information may contribute to vaccine hesitancy due to anti-vaccination content widely available on social media, including Twitter. Being able to identify anti-vaccination tweets could provide useful information for formulating strategies to reduce anti-vaccination sentiments among different groups. This study aims to evaluate the performance of different natural language processing models to identify anti-vaccination tweets that were published during the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared the performance of the bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) and the bidirectional long short-term memory networks with pre-trained GLoVe embeddings (Bi-LSTM) with classic machine learning methods including support vector machine (SVM) and naïve Bayes (NB). The results show that performance on the test set of the BERT model was: accuracy = 91.6%, precision = 93.4%, recall = 97.6%, F1 score = 95.5%, and AUC = 84.7%. Bi-LSTM model performance showed: accuracy = 89.8%, precision = 44.0%, recall = 47.2%, F1 score = 45.5%, and AUC = 85.8%. SVM with linear kernel performed at: accuracy = 92.3%, Precision = 19.5%, Recall = 78.6%, F1 score = 31.2%, and AUC = 85.6%. Complement NB demonstrated: accuracy = 88.8%, precision = 23.0%, recall = 32.8%, F1 score = 27.1%, and AUC = 62.7%. In conclusion, the BERT models outperformed the Bi-LSTM, SVM, and NB models in this task. Moreover, the BERT model achieved excellent performance and can be used to identify anti-vaccination tweets in future studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quyen G. To
- Physical Activity Research Group, Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (S.J.A.); (C.V.)
| | - Kien G. To
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | - Van-Anh N. Huynh
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | | | - Diep T. N. Ngo
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | - Stephanie J. Alley
- Physical Activity Research Group, Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (S.J.A.); (C.V.)
| | - Anh N. Q. Tran
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | - Anh N. P. Tran
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | - Ngan T. T. Pham
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | - Thanh X. Bui
- Public Health Faculty, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (K.G.T.); (V.-A.N.H.); (D.T.N.N.); (A.N.Q.T.); (A.N.P.T.); (N.T.T.P.); (T.X.B.)
| | - Corneel Vandelanotte
- Physical Activity Research Group, Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia; (S.J.A.); (C.V.)
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Removing conscientious objection: The impact of 'No Jab No Pay' and 'No Jab No Play' vaccine policies in Australia. Prev Med 2021; 145:106406. [PMID: 33388333 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Vaccine refusal and hesitancy pose a significant public health threat to communities. Public health authorities have been developing a range of strategies to improve childhood vaccination coverage. This study examines the effect of removing conscientious objection on immunisation coverage for one, two and five year olds in Australia. Conscientious objection was removed from immunisation requirement exemptions for receipt of family assistance payments (national No Jab No Pay) and enrolment in childcare (state No Jab No Play). The impact of these national and state-level policies is evaluated using quarterly coverage data from the Australian Immunisation Register linked with regional data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at the statistical area level between 2014 and 2018. Results suggest that there have been overall improvements in coverage associated with No Jab No Pay, and states that implemented additional No Jab No Play and tightened documentation requirement policies tended to show more significant increases. However, policy responses were heterogeneous. The improvement in coverage was largest in areas with greater socioeconomic disadvantage, lower median income, more benefit dependency, and higher pre-policy baseline coverage. Overall, while immunisation coverage has increased post removal of conscientious objection, the policies have disproportionally affected lower income families whereas socioeconomically advantaged areas with lower baseline coverage were less responsive. More effective strategies require investigation of differential policy effects on vaccine hesitancy, refusal and access barriers, and diagnosis of causes for unresponsiveness and under-vaccination in areas with persistently low coverage, to better address areas with persistent non-compliance with accordant interventions.
Collapse
|
34
|
Paquette ET. In the Wake of a Pandemic: Revisiting School Approaches to Nonmedical Exemptions to Mandatory Vaccination in the US. J Pediatr 2021; 231:17-23. [PMID: 33484695 PMCID: PMC7816863 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Mandatory school vaccination policies with exclusion of unvaccinated students can be a powerful tool in ensuring high vaccination rates. Some parents may object to mandatory vaccination policies, claiming exemptions based on medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. Individual schools, school systems, or local or regional governments have different policies with respect to whether, and what kind of, exemptions may be allowed. In the setting of the current pandemic, questions regarding the acceptability of exemptions have resurfaced, as schools and local governments struggle with how to safely return children to school. Anticipating that school attendance will be facilitated by the development of a vaccine, school systems will face decisions about whether to mandate vaccination and whether to permit exemptions. The American Academy of Pediatrics promulgates policy favoring the elimination of nonmedical exemptions generally in schools. This discussion considers whether schools should eliminate nonmedical exemptions to vaccination as proposed in the American Academy of Pediatrics policy, ultimately concluding that broad elimination of exemptions is not justified and advocating a more nuanced approach that encourages school attendance while promoting vaccination and broader public health goals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin Talati Paquette
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute; and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law,∗ Chicago, IL.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Nimblett-Clarke A. The role of vaccine exemptions in the resurgence of measles. JAAPA 2021; 34:36-40. [PMID: 33470720 DOI: 10.1097/01.jaa.0000731512.09853.af] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable illness. Since 2014, a resurging trend has been noted in the incidence of measles, an illness once eliminated. Low vaccination rates contribute to its resurgence. The most compelling reason for low vaccination rates is the availability and prevalence of nonmedical exemptions (NME), which are primarily based on religious and philosophical beliefs. This article reviews the effect of NMEs in measles resurgence and the moral and legal implications of these exemptions. Clinicians should be aware of this trend and be ready to educate and evaluate the validity of NME requests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Avril Nimblett-Clarke
- Avril Nimblett-Clarke is an assistant professor and academic coordinator in the PA program at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Suryadevara M. Vaccine Mandates. Vaccines (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-58414-6_37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
|
37
|
Lillvis JH, Lillvis DF, Towle-Miller LM, Wilding GE, Kuo DZ. Association of state vision screening requirements with parent-reported vision testing in young children. J AAPOS 2020; 24:291.e1-291.e6. [PMID: 33007448 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2020.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine the relationship between state school vision screening requirements and the likelihood that children 3-5 years of age receive vision testing. METHODS We obtained nationally representative data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health on children ages 3-5 (n = 7,567) and used available sources to compile state policies that mandate childhood vision testing. We calculated the rates of parent-reported vision testing for each state and fit logistic regression models using survey-based estimation methods with nationally representative weights. Our models controlled for factors such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, and insurance coverage. Additional analyses added comorbidities that may lead to an eye care provider referral. RESULTS Parent-reported vision testing rates by state ranged from 41% to 84%. A significant association was found between the presence of state-level vision screening requirements and parent-reported vision testing, which remained after controlling for comorbidities (aOR = 1.374; P = 0.016). Of these comorbidities, arthritis, blindness, and very low birth weight were associated with a higher rate of vision screening (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The presence of a state-level school vision screening requirement is associated with increased parent-reported vision testing in children 3-5 years of age. This suggests that state policy may ensure timely screening for amblyopia and other sight-threatening complications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John H Lillvis
- Ross Eye Institute, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York.
| | - Denise F Lillvis
- Department of Family Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York
| | - Lorin M Towle-Miller
- Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, Buffalo, New York
| | - Gregory E Wilding
- Department of Biostatistics, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, Buffalo, New York
| | - Dennis Z Kuo
- Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Abstract
In an era when the success of the US vaccination policies to date is threatened by vaccine hesitancy, it is important for clinicians to have a working understanding of how vaccines are developed and recommended for use in the United States and how federal and state governments are coordinated to ensure a safe and effective vaccine supply. This article discusses the federal agencies involved in vaccine development and recommendation, other organizations involved in vaccine policy, and the role of vaccine-related public health law in promoting universal vaccination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John W Epling
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, 1 Riverside Circle, Suite 102, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Joshi C, Thio LL. When development is at stake. Neurology 2020; 95:103-104. [DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000009882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
|
40
|
Caplan H, Srivastava T, Feemster KA. Perspectives on state vaccine education mandate policy and implementation among public health department officials: a qualitative study. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 16:1145-1154. [PMID: 31424331 PMCID: PMC7227698 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1654352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In response to the increase in non-medical vaccine exemptions (NME), many states have adopted education mandates (EM), required vaccine education for parents requesting NMEs for their school-age children, but these EMs vary greatly in implementation. In order to learn about the administrative aspects of each state's EM, we interviewed fourteen health department officials from nine states with EMs. Interviews were conducted over the phone, transcribed by a professional transcription service, and double-coded using NVivo 12 by two members of the study staff. The coding resulted in 3698 comments overall, 98.5% inter-coder reliability, and a κ statistic of 0.691. We found no consistent format for content delivery, and methods used included in-person dialogs, web-based education, and video modules. Content of the education is not standardized, and education length ranges from 15 to 60 minutes. Four major themes about the EM policies emerged: (1) the use of EMs to eliminate "convenience exemptions;" (2) the importance of health department communication with health-care providers; (3) facilitators and barriers to implementation; and (4) the positive recommendation for other states to adopt EM policies. We concluded that current EM implementation varies greatly, but officials in states which have adopted EMs for parents requesting NMEs for school-entry vaccinations overwhelmingly recommend other states to adopt them as well. Key features of successful programs may include conversations with parents requesting NMEs and strong communication channels with health-care providers. Systematic tracking of vaccine status after exemption requests and education is necessary to quantitatively determine the effectiveness of EM programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Holden Caplan
- Vaccine Education Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tuhina Srivastava
- Vaccine Education Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kristen A. Feemster
- Immunization Program and Acute Communicable Diseases, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review summarizes the current state of school-entry vaccination requirements and related exemption policies in the United States and examines recent changes to these policies. RECENT FINDINGS With recent infectious disease outbreaks in the United States, there has been heightened awareness on unvaccinated individuals, and the state-level policies that allow individuals to be exempted from school-entry vaccination requirements. Between 2015 and 2017, there have been eleven states that have altered their policies regarding school-entry vaccination requirements and related reporting for which no formal evaluations have been published. One policy change during that period, California SB 277, which became law in 2016, reduced the nonmedical exemption and increased the childhood vaccination coverage rate in that state, though with some evidence of exemption replacement through the use of medical exemptions. Through September 2019, five additional state law changes have been enacted. SUMMARY The large number of heterogeneous changes to state-level policies for school-entry vaccination requirements in recent years need rigorous evaluation to identify best practices for balancing public health authority and parental autonomy while seeking to achieve the highest level of infectious disease prevention for children.
Collapse
|
42
|
Williams JTB, Rice J, Cox-Martin M, Bayliss EA, O'Leary ST. Religious Vaccine Exemptions in Kindergartners: 2011-2018. Pediatrics 2019; 144:peds.2019-2710. [PMID: 31685698 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-2710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Forty-five states permit religious exemptions to school immunization laws; 15 allow personal belief exemptions. Updated religious exemption estimates are lacking, and it is unclear if personal belief exemption availability impacts religious exemption rates. We aimed to (1) update religious exemption trends in kindergartners, (2) compare states' proportions of kindergartners with religious exemptions by personal belief exemption availability, and (3) describe whether the proportion of kindergartners with religious exemptions changed in Vermont after it eliminated personal belief exemptions in 2016. METHODS We analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on exemptions for children entering kindergarten from 2011 to 2018, including 295 state-years in our final analysis. Using a quasi-binomial regression analysis, we compared mean proportions of kindergartners with religious exemptions in states allowing both nonmedical exemptions against states with religious exemptions only, adjusting for policy strength and school year. RESULTS States with religious and personal belief exemptions were one-fourth as likely to have kindergartners with religious exemptions as states with religious exemptions only (risk ratio 0.25; 95% confidence interval 0.16-0.38). After Vermont's policy change, the mean proportion of kindergartners with a religious exemption increased from 0.5% to 3.7%. States were significantly more likely to have kindergartners with religious exemptions during the 2017-2018 school year compared with the 2011-2012 school year (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS Religious exemption rates appear to be associated with personal belief exemption availability, may be subject to a replacement effect on personal belief exemption elimination, and are increasing. Researchers and policy makers should confirm findings with individual-level studies and reconsider the purpose and nature of religious exemption laws.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T B Williams
- Department of Pediatrics, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado; .,Departments of Pediatrics
| | - John Rice
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, School of Public Health, and.,Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, Aurora, Colorado; and
| | - Matt Cox-Martin
- Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, Aurora, Colorado; and
| | - Elizabeth A Bayliss
- Family Medicine, and.,Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, Colorado
| | - Sean T O'Leary
- Departments of Pediatrics.,Pediatric Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado.,Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, Aurora, Colorado; and
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Nyathi S, Karpel HC, Sainani KL, Maldonado Y, Hotez PJ, Bendavid E, Lo NC. The 2016 California policy to eliminate nonmedical vaccine exemptions and changes in vaccine coverage: An empirical policy analysis. PLoS Med 2019; 16:e1002994. [PMID: 31869328 PMCID: PMC6927583 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccine hesitancy, the reluctance or refusal to receive vaccination, is a growing public health problem in the United States and globally. State policies that eliminate nonmedical ("personal belief") exemptions to childhood vaccination requirements are controversial, and their effectiveness to improve vaccination coverage remains unclear given limited rigorous policy analysis. In 2016, a California policy (Senate Bill 277) eliminated nonmedical exemptions from school entry requirements. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between California's 2016 policy and changes in vaccine coverage. METHODS AND FINDINGS We used a quasi-experimental state-level synthetic control analysis and a county-level difference-in-differences analysis to estimate the impact of the 2016 California policy on vaccination coverage and prevalence of exemptions to vaccine requirements (nonmedical and medical). We used publicly available state-level data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coverage of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination, nonmedical exemption, and medical exemption in children entering kindergarten. We used county-level data individually requested from state departments of public health on overall vaccine coverage and exemptions. Based on data availability, we included state-level data for 45 states, including California, from 2011 to 2017 and county-level data for 17 states from 2010 to 2017. The prespecified primary study outcome was MMR vaccination in the state analysis and overall vaccine coverage in the county analysis. In the state-level synthetic control analysis, MMR coverage in California increased by 3.3% relative to its synthetic control in the postpolicy period (top 2 of 43 states evaluated in the placebo tests, top 5%), nonmedical exemptions decreased by 2.4% (top 2 of 43 states evaluated in the placebo tests, top 5%), and medical exemptions increased by 0.4% (top 1 of 44 states evaluated in the placebo tests, top 2%). In the county-level analysis, overall vaccination coverage increased by 4.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9%-5.8%, p < 0.001), nonmedical exemptions decreased by 3.9% (95% CI 2.4%-5.4%, p < 0.001), and medical exemptions increased by 2.4% (95% CI 2.0%-2.9%, p < 0.001). Changes in vaccination coverage across counties after the policy implementation from 2015 to 2017 ranged from -6% to 26%, with larger increases in coverage in counties with lower prepolicy vaccine coverage. Results were robust to alternative model specifications. The limitations of the study were the exclusion of a subset of US states from the analysis and the use of only 2 years of postpolicy data based on data availability. CONCLUSIONS In this study, implementation of the California policy that eliminated nonmedical childhood vaccine exemptions was associated with an estimated increase in vaccination coverage and a reduction in nonmedical exemptions at state and county levels. The observed increase in medical exemptions was offset by the larger reduction in nonmedical exemptions. The largest increases in vaccine coverage were observed in the most "high-risk" counties, meaning those with the lowest prepolicy vaccine coverage. Our findings suggest that government policies removing nonmedical exemptions can be effective at increasing vaccination coverage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sindiso Nyathi
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Hannah C. Karpel
- New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Kristin L. Sainani
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Yvonne Maldonado
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Peter J. Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
- Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Eran Bendavid
- Center for Population Health Sciences, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Nathan C. Lo
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Pingali SC, Delamater PL, Buttenheim AM, Salmon DA, Klein NP, Omer SB. Associations of Statewide Legislative and Administrative Interventions With Vaccination Status Among Kindergartners in California. JAMA 2019; 322:49-56. [PMID: 31265099 PMCID: PMC6613302 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2019.7924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE California implemented 3 interventions to increase uptake of vaccines. In 2014, Assembly bill 2109 tightened requirements for obtaining a personal belief exemption. A 2015 campaign provided educational materials to school staff on the proper application of conditional admission for kindergartners who were not up to date on required vaccinations. In 2016, Senate bill 277 eliminated personal belief exemptions. Prior research has not evaluated these 3 interventions together with regard to the vaccination status of students. OBJECTIVE To assess the changes in the yearly rates of kindergartners who were not up to date on required vaccinations who were entering school during the period of the interventions, by focusing on geographic clustering and the potential contacts of these kindergartners. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Observational study that used cross-sectional school-entry data from 2000-2017 to calculate the rates of kindergartners attending California schools who were not up to date on required vaccinations. EXPOSURES Assembly bill 2109, a conditional admission education program, and Senate bill 277. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the yearly rate of kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status. The secondary outcomes were (1) the modified aggregation index, which was used to assess the potential within-school contacts among kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status, (2) the number of geographic clusters of schools with rates for kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status that were higher than the rates for schools located outside the cluster, and (3) the number of schools located inside the geographic clusters. RESULTS In California between 2000 and 2017, 9 323 315 children started attending kindergarten and 721 593 were not up to date on required vaccinations. Prior to the interventions, the statewide rate of kindergartners without up-to-date status for required vaccinations increased from 7.80% during 2000 to 9.84% during 2013 and then decreased after the interventions to 4.87% during 2017. The percentage chance for within-school contact among kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status decreased from 26.02% during 2014 to 4.56% (95% CI, 4.21%-4.99%) during 2017. During 2012-2013, there were 124 clusters that contained 3026 schools with high rates of kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status. During 2014-2015, there were 93 clusters that contained 2290 schools with high rates of kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status. During 2016-2017, there were 110 clusters that contained 1613 (95% CI, 1565-1691) schools. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In California, statewide legislative and educational interventions were associated with a decrease in the yearly rates of kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status. These interventions also were associated with reductions in the number of schools inside the clusters with high rates of kindergartners without up-to-date vaccination status and the potential for contact among these kindergartners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul L. Delamater
- Department of Geography, Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
| | - Alison M. Buttenheim
- Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Daniel A. Salmon
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Saad B. Omer
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Now with the Yale Institute for Global Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Now with the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Now with the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| |
Collapse
|