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which this article appears: Miscellaneous
PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 5 May 2003, pp. 1215-1218
Maternal Characteristics Associated With Vaccination of Young Children
Elizabeth T. Luman, MS, Mary Mason McCauley, MTSC,
Abigail Shefer, MD and Susan Y. Chu, PhD
From the National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Objective. Mothers can be instrumental in gaining access tovaccination services for their children. This study examines
maternal characteristics associated with vaccination in US preschool
children.
Methods. We analyzed data from 21 212 children aged 19 to 35months in the National Immunization Survey. Bivariate and multivariateanalyses were used to identify maternal characteristics associatedwith completion of all recommended vaccinations in these children.
Results. Factors most strongly associated with undervaccinationincluded having mothers who were black; had less than a high
school education; were divorced, separated, or widowed; hadmultiple
children; were eligible for the Special SupplementalNutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) butnot participating;
or had incomes below 50% of the federal povertylevel.
Conclusion. Because most mothers play an important role in theirchildrens vaccination, it is important to address maternal
concerns and barriers when developing public health interventionsfor
promoting childhood vaccinations. Encouraging eligible womenand
their children to participate in the WIC program and providing
support and encouragement for immunization to mothers with multiple
children may improve early childhood vaccination coverage.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"