Video alleviates parents' vaccine concerns

WASHINGTON – A little bit of education can go a long way toward helping new parents understand the value of vaccines, according to Dr. Sarah E. Williams.

Parents who described themselves as worried about vaccine safety reported significantly greater confidence after they watched an 8-minute video about vaccine safety, she said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

Source: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

"This is important because the study shows that it is possible to modify perceptions of vaccine-hesitant parents, which is likely the first step in the behavior change process," Dr. Williams said in an interview. "A larger sample size will be needed to see the actual change in vaccination rates."

Dr. Williams, a pediatrician who specializes in vaccinology and vaccine-preventable diseases at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., conducted a randomized controlled trial of a vaccine education program in two pediatric offices. The study included parents of 2-week-old infants who were coming in for their first well-child check.

More than 450 parents completed the 15-item Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey, which examines parent behavior toward vaccines, their concerns about safety and efficacy, and other general questions about vaccines. Parents who scored 25 or higher were considered vaccine hesitant and invited to participate in the study; 369 agreed.

The control group received routine care and counseling. The intervention group received two short printed handouts and watched the video, which was narrated by Dr. Kathryn Edwards, professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt. In it, Dr. Edwards touches on the safety of each of the infant vaccines; each discussion also includes a parent discussing his or her firsthand experience with an unvaccinated child falling seriously ill –or even dying.

The primary outcome was the change in PACV scores immediately after the video and at the 2-month well-child check. The secondary outcome was vaccine uptake.

Most of the parents (80%) were mothers; their mean age was 32 years. The majority were white (79%), and half reported an annual income of at least $75,000. The mean baseline PACV score was 28.

At the 2-month visit, the intervention group had a significant decrease in PACV score compared with the control group (median difference of 6.7). This finding remained significant after adjustment for baseline PACV score, race/ethnicity, and income.

There was not a significant between-group difference in on-time receipt of vaccines (control group, 82%; intervention group, 83%). However, Dr. Williams noted, the PACV scores in the intervention group remained stable from right after the video and reading until the 2-month visit. "This shows that brief education can improve vaccine attitudes in vaccine-hesitant parents and that these changes appear to be stable for at least 2 months."

She added that she is now developing a Web-based, interactive intervention that will allow parents to re-evaluate their feelings and ask their own questions. The project will continue to evolve along with public opinion about vaccines, she said.

"There’s a shifting hypothesis among these parents. As soon as we knock down one theory with research, another [one] crops up, so we need to have the opportunities to address these as they develop."

Dr. Williams said she had no relevant financial disclosures.

[email protected]

WASHINGTON – A little bit of education can go a long way toward helping new parents understand the value of vaccines, according to Dr. Sarah E. Williams.

Parents who described themselves as worried about vaccine safety reported significantly greater confidence after they watched an 8-minute video about vaccine safety, she said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

Source: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

"This is important because the study shows that it is possible to modify perceptions of vaccine-hesitant parents, which is likely the first step in the behavior change process," Dr. Williams said in an interview. "A larger sample size will be needed to see the actual change in vaccination rates."

Dr. Williams, a pediatrician who specializes in vaccinology and vaccine-preventable diseases at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., conducted a randomized controlled trial of a vaccine education program in two pediatric offices. The study included parents of 2-week-old infants who were coming in for their first well-child check.

More than 450 parents completed the 15-item Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey, which examines parent behavior toward vaccines, their concerns about safety and efficacy, and other general questions about vaccines. Parents who scored 25 or higher were considered vaccine hesitant and invited to participate in the study; 369 agreed.

The control group received routine care and counseling. The intervention group received two short printed handouts and watched the video, which was narrated by Dr. Kathryn Edwards, professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt. In it, Dr. Edwards touches on the safety of each of the infant vaccines; each discussion also includes a parent discussing his or her firsthand experience with an unvaccinated child falling seriously ill –or even dying.

The primary outcome was the change in PACV scores immediately after the video and at the 2-month well-child check. The secondary outcome was vaccine uptake.

Most of the parents (80%) were mothers; their mean age was 32 years. The majority were white (79%), and half reported an annual income of at least $75,000. The mean baseline PACV score was 28.

At the 2-month visit, the intervention group had a significant decrease in PACV score compared with the control group (median difference of 6.7). This finding remained significant after adjustment for baseline PACV score, race/ethnicity, and income.

There was not a significant between-group difference in on-time receipt of vaccines (control group, 82%; intervention group, 83%). However, Dr. Williams noted, the PACV scores in the intervention group remained stable from right after the video and reading until the 2-month visit. "This shows that brief education can improve vaccine attitudes in vaccine-hesitant parents and that these changes appear to be stable for at least 2 months."

She added that she is now developing a Web-based, interactive intervention that will allow parents to re-evaluate their feelings and ask their own questions. The project will continue to evolve along with public opinion about vaccines, she said.

"There’s a shifting hypothesis among these parents. As soon as we knock down one theory with research, another [one] crops up, so we need to have the opportunities to address these as they develop."

Dr. Williams said she had no relevant financial disclosures.

[email protected]

WASHINGTON – A little bit of education can go a long way toward helping new parents understand the value of vaccines, according to Dr. Sarah E. Williams.

Parents who described themselves as worried about vaccine safety reported significantly greater confidence after they watched an 8-minute video about vaccine safety, she said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

Source: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

"This is important because the study shows that it is possible to modify perceptions of vaccine-hesitant parents, which is likely the first step in the behavior change process," Dr. Williams said in an interview. "A larger sample size will be needed to see the actual change in vaccination rates."

Dr. Williams, a pediatrician who specializes in vaccinology and vaccine-preventable diseases at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., conducted a randomized controlled trial of a vaccine education program in two pediatric offices. The study included parents of 2-week-old infants who were coming in for their first well-child check.

More than 450 parents completed the 15-item Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey, which examines parent behavior toward vaccines, their concerns about safety and efficacy, and other general questions about vaccines. Parents who scored 25 or higher were considered vaccine hesitant and invited to participate in the study; 369 agreed.

The control group received routine care and counseling. The intervention group received two short printed handouts and watched the video, which was narrated by Dr. Kathryn Edwards, professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt. In it, Dr. Edwards touches on the safety of each of the infant vaccines; each discussion also includes a parent discussing his or her firsthand experience with an unvaccinated child falling seriously ill –or even dying.

The primary outcome was the change in PACV scores immediately after the video and at the 2-month well-child check. The secondary outcome was vaccine uptake.

Most of the parents (80%) were mothers; their mean age was 32 years. The majority were white (79%), and half reported an annual income of at least $75,000. The mean baseline PACV score was 28.

At the 2-month visit, the intervention group had a significant decrease in PACV score compared with the control group (median difference of 6.7). This finding remained significant after adjustment for baseline PACV score, race/ethnicity, and income.

There was not a significant between-group difference in on-time receipt of vaccines (control group, 82%; intervention group, 83%). However, Dr. Williams noted, the PACV scores in the intervention group remained stable from right after the video and reading until the 2-month visit. "This shows that brief education can improve vaccine attitudes in vaccine-hesitant parents and that these changes appear to be stable for at least 2 months."

She added that she is now developing a Web-based, interactive intervention that will allow parents to re-evaluate their feelings and ask their own questions. The project will continue to evolve along with public opinion about vaccines, she said.

"There’s a shifting hypothesis among these parents. As soon as we knock down one theory with research, another [one] crops up, so we need to have the opportunities to address these as they develop."

Dr. Williams said she had no relevant financial disclosures.

[email protected]