Parental Intent to Vaccinate Young Children Against the Flu

Background: Influenza is a preventable respiratory condition that affects over 3 million people every year. Young children are especially susceptible to complications from influenza. Daycare settings are highly vulnerable for infectious disease transmission. The objective of the study is to examine parental, child, and demographic factors that are associated with intent to vaccinate and whether intention determines parental vaccinating behavior. Methods: Parents of children 6 years and younger from 23 daycare centers in Tarrant County participated in a survey. Data on parental intent to vaccinate, education on flu vaccination, access to and utilization of health care, and health status of the child were collected. Analyses included bivariate and multivariate techniques to assess associations between predictors and outcomes. Results: Predictive factors associated with parental intent to vaccinate include physician discussion of benefits of flu vaccines (OR = 2.91, 95% CI (1.75, 4.83), p Conclusions: The study indicates that physician discussion of benefits of the flu vaccine, access to and utilization of health care, the child’s health status are important factors that may help in increasing parental intention to vaccinate their child against the flu. These factors can be utilized to improve the efficacy of outreach programs and vaccination success rates.