title: The current situation of voluntary vaccination and the factors influencing its coverage among children in Takatsuki, Japan: focus on Hib and pneumococcal vaccines.
abstract: This study aimed to understand the current scenario of voluntary vaccination and the factors influencing its coverage among 18-month-old children of Takatsuki City, Japan. Based on 1167 parents responses, we found that voluntary vaccination coverage rates were low when compared with routine vaccination rates. The children who were not the first born of the family and who had young and poorly educated parents were less likely to receive voluntary vaccination. Japanese government-supported vaccines, such as Haemophilus influenzae type b and pneumococcal vaccine, had a higher coverage than the vaccines for which parents had to bear the entire vaccination cost. Furthermore, it was found that mass communication media and family pediatricians were effective means to disseminate voluntary vaccination-related information. We envisage that an active participation of medical professionals, easy access to vaccinations, and mass awareness programs will increase voluntary vaccination coverage in Takatsuki.
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan nonny_b_good@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Misuzu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Itsushi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusabiraki
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komiyama
authors.affiliation: Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kono
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D014611:Vaccination / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: 18-month-old children; Haemophilus influenzae type b; Japan; parental awareness; pneumococcal; vaccination coverage; voluntary vaccination