In the past decade, vaccines have become a controversial topic, and parents around the world have blamed them for many different health conditions. Although there is no conclusive evidence, some people are still hesitant to vaccinate their children against some of the deadliest diseases known to mankind. Measles, Polio, Type b (Hib) Meningitis, Hepatitis B, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Pneumococcal, Rubella (German Measles), Varicella (Chickenpox), Diphtheria, Tetanus (Lockjaw) and Mumps have been responsible for countless deaths and disfiguring conditions. However, today they are a thing of the past in most countries around the world because of vaccines.
The decisions parents make regarding vaccinations are based on many different factors. A study authored by Emily K. Brunson, MPH, PhD Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas and published by PEDIATRICS, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, looks at the impact social network has when parents make these decisions.
The study was small and involved only 196 families in Washington State, but it concluded these first-time parents are swayed in the decision making process by family and friends as to whether they should vaccinate or not -- and if so when.
Although the study had detailed questions, it could not conclusively state how the parents were swayed either way when it came to vaccinating their children. As the author of the study stated, “It's the chicken-and-egg question," because they don’t know if the parents were already against vaccination and sought the advice of people that validated their beliefs, or they changed their minds because of the advice they received. "The answer is, we don't know which came first."
The study asked US-born, first-time parents with children that were 18 months or younger with an online survey. The participants were classified as conformers because they had vaccinated their children and they were up to date and non-conformers, parents who had made the choice to skip or delay the vaccination. Conformers made the largest number of the participants at 126 and non-conformers at 70.
Technology plays a great role in providing information not only to new parents, but everyone who uses the medium. The anxiety first time parents feel about doing what is right often times can lead to making the wrong decision based on the wrong information. The key for new parents, is scrutinizing the information until you are 100 percent sure the decision you make as a family will not harm your most precious gift.
Edited by
Rich Steeves
