Document Type

Article

Language

English

Publication Date

1-2016

Publisher

Elsevier

Source Publication

Academics Pediatrics

Source ISSN

1876-2859

Abstract

Objective

To validate a brief measure of vaccination confidence using a large, nationally representative sample of parents.

Methods

We analyzed weighted data from 9018 parents who completed the 2010 National Immunization Survey–Teen, an annual, population-based telephone survey. Parents reported on the immunization history of a 13- to 17-year-old child in their households for vaccines including tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccines. For each vaccine, separate logistic regression models assessed associations between parents' mean scores on the 8-item Vaccination Confidence Scale and vaccine refusal, vaccine delay, and vaccination status. We repeated analyses for the scale's 4-item short form.

Results

One quarter of parents (24%) reported refusal of any vaccine, with refusal of specific vaccines ranging from 21% for human papillomavirus to 2% for Tdap. Using the full 8-item scale, vaccination confidence was negatively associated with measures of vaccine refusal and positively associated with measures of vaccination status. For example, refusal of any vaccine was more common among parents whose scale scores were medium (odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.75–2.47) or low (odds ratio, 4.61; 95% confidence interval, 3.51–6.05) versus high. For the 4-item short form, scores were also consistently associated with vaccine refusal and vaccination status. Vaccination confidence was inconsistently associated with vaccine delay.

Conclusions

The Vaccination Confidence Scale shows promise as a tool for identifying parents at risk for refusing adolescent vaccines. The scale's short form appears to offer comparable performance.

Comments

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Academic Pediatrics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Academic Pediatrics, Vol. 16, No. 1 (January-February 2016): 42-49. DOI. © 2016 Elsevier. Used with permission.

Brooke Magnus was affiliated with University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at the time of publication.

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