Sometimes patients and parents choose not to vaccinate¹

Understanding the motivation behind their decisions can help you formulate a plan.

World Health Organization estimates that vaccination saves 3.5-5 million lives worldwide every year.²⁰ Despite the availability, many still delay or refuse recommended vaccines, which can lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and avoidable deaths.²¹

This choice is often attributed to a lack of confidence in vaccine efficacy and safety; however, studies show there are three main motivating factors that may influence vaccine hesitancy²²:

Factors That Influence Vaccine Hesitancy^22,23,24

SDOH influence parental decisions about vaccination

In data from the 2018-2019 NIS-Child Survey, 23.6% (n=1804) of parents with children aged 19-35 months reported hesitancy toward childhood vaccinations.^25,a

Parental vaccine hesitancy differed by race/ethnicity, mother’s education level, and poverty status.^25,a

Percent of parents reporting hesitancy (95% CI)

^aNIS-Child is an annual, random digit-dialed telephone survey conducted by the CDC among parents or guardians of children aged 19–35 months. The association of parental vaccine hesitancy with vaccination coverage was assessed using a CDC-developed 6-item questionnaire where parents were asked questions on their perceptions of childhood vaccination.²⁵