Vaccine hesitancy and reported non-vaccination in an Irish pediatric outpatient population

Vaccine hesitancy is defined as a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines, despite availability. It is a complex and context specific phenomenon and identified as a global health priority. The “Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines” (PACV) questionnaire is a validated tool for identifying v...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of pediatrics 2021-09, Vol.180 (9), p.2839-2847
Main Authors: Whelan, Sean Olann, Moriarty, Frank, Lawlor, Lisa, Gorman, Kathleen Mary, Beamish, Joanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Caregivers
Children
Human papillomavirus
Immunization
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mumps
Original Article
Pediatrics
Population
Public health
Questionnaires
Rubella
Vaccines
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Summary:Vaccine hesitancy is defined as a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines, despite availability. It is a complex and context specific phenomenon and identified as a global health priority. The “Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines” (PACV) questionnaire is a validated tool for identifying vaccine hesitancy. Our aim was to use the PACV to assess vaccine hesitancy and its relationship with reported non-vaccination in an Irish population, for the first time. Our participants were parents or caregivers of children attending general pediatric clinics in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Dublin, Ireland, between September and December 2018. In total, 436 participants completed the questionnaire. 5.5% of our population reported non-vaccination. Human papilloma virus and measles, mumps, rubella vaccines were the most commonly cited vaccines of concern (11.5% and 6.7%, respectively), and autism spectrum disorder was the most commonly side effect of concern (4.3%). Mean PACV score was 26.9 (SD 19.1), with a significant difference between non-vaccinators and vaccinators (53.2 vs 25.3, p
ISSN:0340-6199
1432-1076
DOI:10.1007/s00431-021-04039-6