Home⇛Annals of Tropical Research⇛vol. 42 no. 2 (2020)

Understanding vaccine hesitancy among mothers: the case of a community hit by rubella outbreak

Rhea Jenny A. Ogalesco | Christina A. Gabrillo | Editha G. Cagasan | Milagros C. Bales

 

Abstract:

The Philippines has been implementing its Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) for over 40 years now. However, measles outbreaks are still reported. One of the reasons behind this is parental vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to understand conditions surrounding vaccine hesitancy among mothers in San Antonio, Northern Samar where rubella (German measles) outbreak was reported in 2017. A total of 16 mothers and three program implementers served as informants for this study. It was found that despite the communication strategies used by the EPI program implementers, parental vaccine-hesitancy existed in the municipality. The mothers were considered vaccine-hesitant because of their delay in subjecting their children to measles vaccination. Analysis of the interview transcripts using the Grounded Theory approach revealed a number of conditions surrounding vaccine hesitancy among mothers. These include: (1) preoccupation with household responsibilities, (2) misunderstanding of the information on measles vaccination, (3) influence of social networks on vaccination decisions, and (4) negative perceptions about measles vaccination. The mothers' hesitancy to subject their children to measles vaccination caused their children to be infected with the disease, and had resulted in an outbreak of rubella in the community. The rubella outbreak eventually led to vaccine uptake when parents realized the importance of subjecting their children to vaccination and when the government implemented mandatory measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.



References:

  1. Al-lela OQB, Bahari MB, Salih MRM, Al-abbassi MG, Elkalmi RM & Jamshed SQ. 2014. Factors underlying inadequate parents' awareness regarding pediatrics immunization: Findings of cross-sectional study in Mosul-Iraq. BMC Pediatrics 14(1):29
  2. Ames HMR, Glenton C & Lewin S. 2017. Parents' and informal caregivers' views and experiences of communication about routine childhood vaccination: a synthesis of qualitative evidence. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017(2):CD011787
  3. Bekhet A and Zauszniewski J. 2012. Methodological triangulation: An approach to understanding data. Nurse Researcher 20(2):40-43
  4. Bloor M and Wood F. 2006. Keywords in qualitative methods: A vocabulary of research concepts (pp164-166). Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA
  5. Brunson E. 2013. The impact of social networks on parents' vaccination decisions.. Pediatrics 131(5):1397-1404 
  6. Caitlin J, Wilson R, O'Leary M, Eckersberger E & Larson H. 2015. Strategies for addressing vaccine hesitancy: A systematic review. Vaccine 33(34):4180-4190
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). 2018. Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Diseases                            and             How             to             Protect             Against             Them https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/mmr-vaccine.html
  8. Cepeda M. 2018. Kids' vaccination rate down to 60% after Dengvaxia scare - DOH. Retrieved from Rappler: https://www.rappler.com/nation/195101-kids-vaccination-rate- down-dengvaxia-scare-doh
  9. Charmaz K. 2006. Constructing grounded theory: practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage Publications, London, UK
  10. Department of Health (DOH). nd. Expanded Program on Immunization. Retrieved from Department of Health: https://www.doh.gov.ph/expanded-program-on-immunization
  11. Department of Health (DOH). 2017. Measles-Rubella Cases. Retrieved from Department of Health:https://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/2017%20Measles%20Morbidity%20Week%201-44.pdf
  12. Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R & Bettinger J. 2013. Vaccine hesitancy. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 9(8):1763-1773
  13. Dubé E, Gagnon D, Nickels E, Jeram S & Schuster M. 2014. Mapping vaccine hesitancy- country-specific characteristics of a global phenomenon. Vaccine 32(49):6649-6654
  14. Erci B, Polat S & Ozyazicioglu N. 2016. Mothers' decision-making processes regarding their children's health care. International Journal of Caring Sciences 9(3):792-800
  15. Fitzgerald G and Fitz Gibbon M. 2014. A comparative analysis of traditional and digital data collection methods in social research in LDCs Case studies. exploring implications for participation, empowerment, and (mis)understandings. In IFAC 2014. Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control, Cape Town, South Africa. August 24-29, 2014
  16. Gowda C, Schaffe SE, Kopec K, Markel A & Dempsey A. 2013. Does the relative importance of MMR vaccine concerns differ by degree of parental vaccine hesitancy? Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics 9(2):430-436
  17. Kagone M, Ye M, Nebie E, Sie A, Muller O & Beiersmann C. 2018. Community perception regarding childhood vaccinations and its implications for effectiveness: A qualitative study in rural Burkina Faso. BMC Public Health 18:324
  18. Kenny M and Fourie R. 2015. Contrasting Classic, Straussian & Constructivist Grounded Theory: Methodological and philosophical conflicts. The Qualitative Report 20(8):1270- 1289
  19. MacDonald NE. 2015. Vaccine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants. Vaccine 33(34):4161-4164
  20. Marcuap HL. 2014. Visiting These 3 "Secret" Towns In Northern Samar Will Leave You Speechless. https://wondersofnorthernsamar. wordpress.com/2015/03/05/top- destinations/ 
  21. McKee C and Bohannon K. 2016. Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics 21(2):104-109
  22. Miller NK, Verhoef M & Cardwell K. 2008. Rural parents' perspectives about information on child immunization. Rural and Remote Health 8(2):863
  23. Omer S, Salmon D, Orenstein W, deHart P & Halsey N. 2009. Vaccine refusal, mandatory immunization, and the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The New England Journal of Medicine 360(19):1981-1988
  24. Palmer S and McNeill R. 2009. Socio-demographic variables and parental decision- making about childhood vaccines is education more important than deprivation? Tumana Research 1-13
  25. Rimal RN and Lapinski MK. 2009. Why health communication is important in public health. Bull World Health Organ 87:247-248
  26. Saada A, Lieu T, Morain S, Zikmund-Fisher B & Wittenberg E. 2015. Parents' choices and rationales for alternative vaccination schedules: A qualitative study. Clinical Pediatrics 54(3):236-243
  27. Şahin F and Yan Z. 2013. Mobile phones in data collection: A systematic review. International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning 3(3):67-87
  28. Santos AP. 2018. Dengue vaccine controversy sparks panic in Philippines. Retrieved from Deutsche Welle: http://www.dw.com/en/dengue-vaccine-controversy-sparks-panic-in- philippines/a-42711828
  29. United Nations (UN). 2015. Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Retrieved rom United Nations: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf
  30. Williams S. 2014. What are the factors that contribute to parental vaccine-hesitancy and what can we do about it? Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 10(9):2584-2596
  31. Wittels A. 2016. Exploring the role of communication in community health in sierra leone. BBC Media Action
  32. World Health Organization (WHO). 2018a. Measles. Retrieved from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles
  33. World Health Organization (WHO). 2018b. Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy. Retrieved from World                                                             Health                                                   Organization. http://www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/vaccine_hesitancy/en
  34. World Health Organization (WHO). nd. SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic