title: Variation in Vaccination Data Available at School Entry Across the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compile substate-level data on US school-age children's vaccination rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  For states that did not have suitable data online, in 2015 we submitted information requests to the state health department and followed up with the state's Freedom of Information Act when necessary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The accessibility, scale, and types of vaccination data varied considerably. Whereas 26 states provided data online, 14 released data only after a Freedom of Information Act request. School or school-district data were available for 24 states, 19 at the county level, 2 at the health department level, and 6 provided no substate-level data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective vaccination policy requires a robust understanding of vaccination behavior. Some states make it difficult to access data or provide low-resolution data of limited value for identifying vaccination behavior.
authors.affiliation: Timothy F. Leslie and Paul L. Delamater are with the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Erica J. Street and Kathryn H. Jacobsen are with the Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University. Y. Tony Yang is with the Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University.
authors.forename: Timothy F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Leslie
authors.affiliation: Timothy F. Leslie and Paul L. Delamater are with the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Erica J. Street and Kathryn H. Jacobsen are with the Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University. Y. Tony Yang is with the Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University.
authors.forename: Erica J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Street
authors.affiliation: Timothy F. Leslie and Paul L. Delamater are with the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Erica J. Street and Kathryn H. Jacobsen are with the Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University. Y. Tony Yang is with the Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Delamater
authors.affiliation: Timothy F. Leslie and Paul L. Delamater are with the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Erica J. Street and Kathryn H. Jacobsen are with the Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University. Y. Tony Yang is with the Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University.
authors.forename: Y Tony
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Timothy F. Leslie and Paul L. Delamater are with the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Erica J. Street and Kathryn H. Jacobsen are with the Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University. Y. Tony Yang is with the Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University.
authors.forename: Kathryn H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D002648:Child; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D012574:Schools; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States; D014611:Vaccination