C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health
finds less than half of parents plan to have their children vaccinated against H1N1 flu, despite higher disease risk; Hispanic parents more likely to vaccinate
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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – ANN ARBOR, Mich.—With schools back in session, H1N1 flu has become more active across the United States—especially among children. A new vaccine against H1N1 flu—strongly recommended for kids—has been tested and is expected to be available in October. But will parents get their children vaccinated?
The latest C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on
Children’s Health finds only 40 percent of parents indicate they
will get their children vaccinated against H1N1 flu—while 54 percent
of parents indicate they will get their children vaccinated against
seasonal flu. Among parents who do not plan to get their children
vaccinated against H1N1 flu, 46 percent indicate they are not worried
about their children getting H1N1 flu, while 20 percent believe H1N1 flu
is not serious.
“This information about parents’ plans to vaccinate their kids
against H1N1 flu suggests that parents are much less concerned about
H1N1 flu than seasonal flu for their kids. That perception may not match
the actual risks,” says Matthew Davis, M.D., director of the poll and
associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine in the Child
Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan
Medical School.
The poll also shows vaccination plans for H1N1 flu differs by
racial/ethnic groups. More than half of Hispanic parents plan to have
their children vaccinated against H1N1 flu, compared to only 38 percent
of white parents and 30 percent of black parents.
Vaccination plans of Hispanic parents may reflect a higher perceived
risk in the Hispanic community, given the well publicized outbreak of
H1N1 flu in Mexico in early 2009, Davis says.
In describing their perceived risk of H1N1 flu for children, one-third
of parents indicate they believe H1N1 flu will be worse than seasonal
flu. Nearly half of parents believe H1N1 and seasonal flu will be about
the same for children, according to the poll.
These perceptions contrast information from the CDC suggesting
that—unlike what is typically seen with seasonal flu—rates of
illness and hospitalizations related to H1N1 flu are higher for children
than for other age groups.
“It can be difficult to follow all the new information about a fast
moving target like H1N1 flu,” says Davis, who is also associate
professor of public policy at the U-M Gerald R. Ford School of Public
Policy. “Health care professionals and public health officials need to
help parents and the community at-large understand that children are one
of the groups at greatest risk for getting H1N1, and for getting very
sick from the disease as well.”
Among parents who do not plan to get their children vaccinated against
H1N1 flu, or who are unsure, about half are worried about possible side
effects of the vaccine. Among parents who do plan to get their children
vaccinated against H1N1 flu, about 4 in 5 believe that H1N1 is a serious
disease and worry about their children getting H1N1 illness. Parents who
think H1N1 flu will be worse for children than seasonal flu were much
more likely to plan to have their children vaccinated against H1N1 flu.
“This connection between perceived risk and plans to vaccinate
against H1N1 flu makes a lot of sense,” says Davis. “What it
emphasizes is that to reach parents who are currently unsure about H1N1
vaccination and convince them to go ahead and vaccinate their kids, the
health care community needs to focus on communicating key information
about the risk of H1N1 flu for children.”
The poll surveyed 1,678 parents from Aug. 13 – 31, 2009 across the U.S.
about their plans and perceptions related to getting their children
vaccinated against H1N1 flu and seasonal flu.
FULL REPORT: http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/npch/pdf/092409report.pdf
FIGURES: http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/npch/pdf/092409figures.pdf
POLL QUESTIONS:
http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/npch/pdf/092409questions.pdf
Resources for parents from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention:
General information about H1N1 influenza:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm
Information about the H1N1 vaccine and vaccine safety:
http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_safety_qa.htm
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