%0 Journal Article
%T Factors That Influence Vaccination Decision-Making by Parents Who Visit an Anthroposophical Child Welfare Center: A Focus Group Study
%A Irene A. Harmsen
%A Robert A. C. Ruiter
%A Theo G. W. Paulussen
%A Liesbeth Mollema
%A Gerjo Kok
%A Hester E. de Melker
%J Advances in Preventive Medicine
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/175694
%X In recent years, parents have become more disparaging towards childhood vaccination. One group that is critical about the National Immunization Program (NIP) and participates less comprises parents with an anthroposophical worldview. Despite the fact that various studies have identified anthroposophists as critical parents with lower vaccination coverage, no research has been done to explore the beliefs underlying their childhood vaccination decision-making. We conducted a qualitative study using three focus groups ( ) of parents who visit an anthroposophical child welfare center. Our findings show that participants did not refuse all vaccinations within the Dutch NIP, but mostly refused the Mumps, Measles, and Rubella (MMR) vaccination. Vaccination decisions are influenced by participants¡¯ lifestyle, perception of health, beliefs about childhood diseases, perceptions about the risks of diseases, perceptions about vaccine effectiveness and vaccine components, and trust in institutions. Parents indicated that they felt a need for more information. Sufficient references should be provided to sources containing more information about childhood vaccination, especially about the effectiveness of vaccines and vaccine components and the risks, such as possible side effects and benefits of vaccination. This may satisfy parents¡¯ information needs and enable them to make a sufficiently informed choice whether or not to vaccinate their child. 1. Introduction In recent years, parents have become more disparaging towards childhood vaccination [1]. Different studies show reasons why parents are critical and sometimes refuse vaccination for their children. These include anxiety about side effects, the perception that vaccine-preventable diseases are not serious, and a lack of trust in herd immunity [2]. This suggests that parents who refuse vaccination are concerned about long-term health problems as a result of vaccination [3] and have doubts about the safety of vaccines [4]. However, these factors vary between different groups of parents who may refuse vaccination. One of the groups who is critical about the National Immunization Program (NIP) and participates less comprises parents with an anthroposophical worldview. Anthroposophy is a spiritual movement that was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher. In anthroposophic care, health is viewed as a matter of body, soul, and spirit, and a balance between these three. There are anthroposophical medical practices in 80 countries around the world [5] and anthroposophy has
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/apm/2012/175694/