Urban Middle School Parent Perspectives: The Vaccines They Are Willing to Have Their Children Receive Using School-Based Immunization Programs

Abstract 

Purpose

With new vaccination recommendations for adolescents, school-based immunization programs become a valuable alternative site for immunization. This study seeks to determine factors associated with parental willingness to utilize school-based programs for immunizations.

Methods

A questionnaire was distributed to the parents of 11–14-year-olds attending 7 middle schools in a large, urban public school district. Participants were asked multiple questions including medical home enrollment, primary language spoken at home, site of last immunization, and comfort with their child receiving specific vaccines during school hours. Frequencies, chi-square analyses, and logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS 17.0.

Results

A total of 615 parent questionnaires were included in the analyses; 81% of parents were Hispanic, 16% black, 39% spoke primarily English at home, and 77% indicated that they had a medical home for their child. Regarding specific vaccines, the largest percentage of parents were willing to have their child receive influenza vaccine (57%) and the smallest percentage were willing to have the human papillomavirus vaccine (27%) at school during school hours. Parents who had used a school-based clinic for their child's last immunization were more willing to receive each vaccine at school.

Conclusions

This study indicates that there is significant interest and willingness among predominantly lower income, Hispanic middle school parents to have their children receive specific vaccines during school hours through school-based immunization programs. More study is needed among a more diverse population of parents to help target the various needs of parents and adolescents and ultimately increase adolescent immunization rates.

Keywords: School-based immunization programs, Adolescents, Parent perspective, Vaccines, Medical home, Influenza vaccine, HPV vaccine