Impact of an immunization education program on middle school adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To raise middle school student awareness, attitudes, and proactive behaviors about immunization, and to increase immunization rates among middle school students through implementation of a comprehensive integrated immunization promotion curriculum (Immunization Plus!)


METHODS
Evaluation used a quasi-experimental non-equivalent comparison-groups design conducted in a sample of 40 classrooms in 22 schools in California.


RESULTS
Sixth-grade students exposed to the curriculum developed more positive knowledge and attitudes, and were more likely to be immunized, to intend to obtain newly required immunizations, and to tell parents about immunizations.


CONCLUSIONS
Infectious disease control and immunizations are under-developed subject areas within school-based health promotion in the United States that can be effectively taught to middle school students.
Glik
Deborah
D
UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. dglik@ucla.edu
Macpherson
Fiona
F
Todd
Wendy
W
Stone
Kathleen
K
Ang
Alfonso
A
Connell Jones
Marcy
M
D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D003071:Cognition; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D003479:Curriculum; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires