After her son had a bad year in the hospital, Heather Flynn, a nurse in Regina, Saskatchewan, decided to initiate an open-ended discussion about vaccinations with his pediatrician. Flynn consulted with other medical professionals and poured countless hours into researching the answers to her son’s questions. She then connected her son with a pediatrician who listened to her concerns and made an appointment to discuss his questions in-depth.
Examine the science behind vaccinations
Despite their widespread use, vaccines are not without risk. In order to make them safer for humans and animals, vaccines must be thoroughly tested. Clinical trials are highly controlled tests where participants are randomly assigned to receive a vaccine or a placebo. The tests must be repeated over time and under ideal conditions. Even after the vaccine is approved, some people experience adverse effects. Some of these effects, called vaccine reactions, are mild and not life-threatening.
To create vaccines, scientists from around the world conduct research for ten to fifteen years. The first step is laboratory research, where scientists identify antigens that can prevent disease. After testing in animals and humans, scientists develop a vaccine for humans. This research requires decades of trial and error. The results of these trials are published in medical journals. Vaccines have helped prevent many serious diseases, but they are not a guarantee that they will prevent diseases.
Examine the risks of opting out
Although overall acceptance of Veterinary Vaccination Formulation Support is high, fears of the side effects of vaccines are rising in many developed countries. These fears have been associated with increased rates of illness and death and large societal costs. Despite the widespread nature of vaccine-related fear, information campaigns have failed to address this issue. This resistance is not surprising, given that psychological research shows that risk perception is based on a person’s own personal experiences.
Vaccines are not 100% effective, and a small group of members may not receive full protection. Adjuvants For Animal Vaccines do not guarantee complete immunity, and some people simply cannot afford to pay the costs associated with them. This practice is called “freeriding” and threatens the health of others. Although there is no proof to support this view, it is a troubling issue to explore. While vaccines are necessary and provide substantial benefits to the people who receive them, many people may choose to opt out for whatever reason.
Examine the relationship between parents and pediatricians
Vaccines are controversial, and there are many reasons why parents may choose not to get them for their children. Among the most common reasons are health concerns and fear of lawsuits. Parents who refuse vaccines may want to examine the relationship between parents and pediatricians. Often, physicians are dismissive of families who choose not to have their children vaccinated. However, this is not the case in every practice.
In a recent survey, we asked physicians about their attitudes toward vaccine refusal. Results indicated that physicians in suburban and rural areas were more likely to dismiss families who refuse all or some vaccines. In addition, pediatricians who treat patients with higher socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to dismiss families who refuse to get their children vaccinated. But the opposite was true for physicians in urban or suburban practice settings.
Examine the impact of targeted content on decision-making
In an attempt to understand the effect of targeted content on vaccination decision-making, we present a survey in which participants evaluated hypothetical COVID-19 vaccines. Respondents were asked to choose between vaccine A and B or neither, and were presented with two different levels of attributes for each vaccine. Levels and order of the attributes were randomized across participants. The choice set is detailed in the Supplement. The respondents were asked to indicate whether they would be extremely, moderately, or slightly likely to choose the vaccine.
The average marginal component effect sizes (AMCRs) show the relationship between the different attributes of a vaccine. The effect size represents the average difference in the vaccine choice probability between groups, and this measure was determined by calculating the proportion of each type of attribute by sociodemographic group. These results also show that certain sociodemographic groups have a higher intention to receive a vaccine than others. The results are reported in Supplement eTable 2.
