Parents' Experiences Discussing Pediatric Vaccination with Healthcare Providers: A Survey of Canadian Naturopathic Patients
2011

Parents' Experiences Discussing Pediatric Vaccination with Healthcare Providers

Sample size: 95 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Busse Jason W., Walji Rishma, Wilson Kumanan

Primary Institution: Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Hypothesis

What are the experiences of parents who seek naturopathic care regarding discussions about pediatric vaccination with their healthcare providers?

Conclusion

Parents who seek naturopathic care often feel pressured to vaccinate their children and may experience conflict with their healthcare providers over vaccination decisions.

Supporting Evidence

  • 50.5% of parents reported that their children had received all recommended vaccines.
  • 60.0% of parents felt pressured to vaccinate their children.
  • 69.6% of parents with partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children reported a willingness to reconsider their decision.

Takeaway

This study shows that many parents who go to naturopathic doctors are unsure about vaccinations and often feel pressured by their regular doctors to vaccinate their kids.

Methodology

A 26-item cross-sectional survey was administered to 129 adult patients who were parents with children ≤16 years of age, presenting for naturopathic care in Ontario, Canada.

Potential Biases

The study may be subject to response bias as it relies on self-reported data from parents regarding their vaccination status and experiences.

Limitations

The study's data are limited to self-report and responses were not confirmed, which may affect the reliability of the findings.

Participant Demographics

Predominantly well-educated females with an average age of 36.7 years and a median of 2 children.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.03

Confidence Interval

95% CI: 1.14 to 8.26; 1.22 to 10.44

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022737

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