title: Determinants of Parental Acceptance of the H1N1 Vaccine.
abstract: Although designated as a high-risk group during the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, only about 40% of U.S. children received the vaccine, a relatively low percentage compared with high-risk groups in seasonal influenza, such as the elderly, whose vaccine rates typically top 70%. To better understand parental decision making and predictors of acceptance of the H1N1 vaccine, we examined data from a representative national sample of parents (n = 684), using the health belief model as a framework. The most important predictors of vaccine acceptance were "cues to action" at multiple levels, from intrapersonal to mass communication, including the influence of friends, family, the media, and modeling by the Obama family; costs and benefits and self-efficacy were also significant predictors of vaccine acceptance. Higher perceived levels of H1N1 risk were not associated with vaccine uptake. Results suggest that traditional measures of perceived risk may not account for the cost-benefit analysis inherent in vaccine decision making, and that messages designed to emphasize disease risk may be ineffective. The authors recommend emphasizing cues to action that support norming and modeling of vaccine acceptance.
authors.affiliation: University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA hilyard@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hilyard
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra Crouse
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Musa
authors.affiliation: University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Vicki S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Freimuth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines
keywords: H1N1; behavioral theories; child health; emergency; health behavior; health belief model; health communication; influenza; pandemic; risk and crisis communication; vaccination; vaccine