title: Perinatal immunization education improves immunization rates and knowledge: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if providing perinatal immunization education positively changes the immunization status of infants, influences the infant immunization knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of mothers and affects the intent to vaccinate children in Japan where immunization education is limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women were recruited from three sites in Tokyo, Japan and were assigned to two intervention (pre- or postnatal education) groups and a control group. The immunization status of infants was assessed and a written survey was performed before and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 119 study participants, 106 subjects replied to the post-survey. The intervention groups (34.3%) had higher immunization rates in infants at three months of age than the control group (8.3%) (P=0.005); however, no differences were observed between the prenatal (29.4%) and postnatal groups (38.9%) (P=0.40). The percentage of women intended to vaccinate their infants was higher in the intervention groups (61.4%) compared to the control group (33.3%) (P=0.01). The improvement in score for basic knowledge was higher in the intervention groups, particularly in the prenatal group (mean±S.D.: 3.4±1.8) compared to the control (1.9±1.9) (P=0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perinatal immunization education improved the immunization status of infants, increased the women's knowledge on immunization and intention to vaccinate their infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Nursing, Division of Health Sciences and Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan. aya-saitoh@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsukahara
authors.forename: Florin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vaida
authors.forename: Tomoyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sonobe
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naruse
authors.forename: Sachiyo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000592:standards*; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D014041:Tokyo; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*