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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2002
CONTACT:
Vilena Katanova, (212) 798-9737
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Parents Speak Out About Immunizations
Leading Nursing Organizations Unveil New Survey Findings During
National Immunization Awareness Month
Washington, DC -- A new survey shows that although 85 percent of
new and expectant parents say they know which and how many immunizations
their children need to receive, findings reveal that these same parents are
confused and anxious when it comes to their child's immunizations. In fact,
the survey found that more than 80 percent of the 1,000 parents who
participated were unaware of the number of immunizations recommended for
their child in the first two years of life and a majority could not identify
all of the diseases immunizations protect against.
The survey, designed to identify parents' attitudes, behaviors and
knowledge about immunizations, is part of a collaborative effort by the
American Nurses Association (ANA), the American College of Nurse
Practitioners (ACNP) and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse
Practitioners (NAPNAP) during National Immunization Awareness Month, and
supported in part by GlaxoSmithKline. Among other findings, the survey shows
that while nearly 100 percent of parents immunize their children and
recognize the value of immunizations, more than half say that watching their
child get immunized hurts them more than the child (55 percent) and they
would like to decrease the number of immunizations their child receives at
each visit (75 percent).
"As a nurse, I know how important it is to have children immunized. It's
the only way we can keep serious and sometimes fatal childhood diseases at
bay," said Barbara Blakeney, MS, APRN, BC, ANP, president of American Nurses
Association. "I can understand how hard it is for parents to keep up-to-date
on the complicated immunization schedule. As nurses, we play a key role in
educating parents about immunizations and providing them with tips to ease
their distress."
Childhood Immunization Survey
The survey also revealed that parents most often rely on their nurse,
nurse practitioner or physician for immunization information rather than the
Internet, friends or family, to whom they often refer for general health
information.
"As the survey confirms, when it comes to their child's health, parents
like the reassurance of talking directly to the nurse, nurse practitioner or
physician who's treating the child," said Carolyn Montoya, MSN, CPNP,
immediate past-president, ACNP. "As healthcare professionals, we are not
only committed to understanding the science of immunizations, but we are
also very aware of the importance of providing parents with the most
accurate and up-to-date immunization information available."
Key Survey Findings
- Ninety-eight percent of parents value the role immunization plays in
the health of their child and believe immunizations are important in
preventing disease
- Almost eight in 10 parents (77 percent) surveyed are aware of the
existence of combination vaccines (vaccines that provide protection
against two or more diseases simultaneously) and 75 percent indicated they
would like to further decrease the number of immunizations their children
receive
- Eighty-three percent of parents do not know how many immunizations a
child is recommended to receive during the first two years of life
- More than 50 percent of parents surveyed could not identify
vaccine-preventable diseases, for example fewer than one-half of parents
identified polio and hepatitis B as preventable via immunization (41
percent and 10 percent respectively)
- Eighty-four percent of parents indicate they feel as if they are
having sympathy pain watching their child be immunized and four out of
five parents find it difficult to watch
Immunizations: The Most Effective Tools for Halting the Spread of
Infectious Diseases
Immunizations have been heralded as one of the greatest public health
achievements of the 20th Century because they have helped protect children
and eradicate diseases. Life-threatening diseases such as polio - which
paralyzed more than 20,000 people in the United States in 1952 alone - are
nearly eradicated as a result of widespread vaccination. Today, infants
receive 20 or more injections in the first two years of life to protect them
against 11 serious diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis
(whooping cough), mumps, measles, rubella (German measles), chicken pox (varicella),
polio, hepatitis B, h. influenza type b (Hib meningitis or pneumonia) and
Pneumoccoccal meningitis.
Combination vaccines, such as MMR [measles, mumps and rubella], have been
available and effectively used for more than 50 years. Combination vaccines
help reduce costs for parents and may reduce the number of office visits and
help facilitate the addition of new vaccines into the immunization schedule.
Voices for Childhood Immunization
In response to the survey and to help parents better understand and simplify
the immunization process, the ANA, the ACNP and NAPNAP have developed a tip
sheet, "Voices for Childhood Immunization." The
free tip sheet
offers parents advice on how to reduce their child's discomfort and
their own emotional response during immunizations, as well as questions to
ask their healthcare professional, such as the availability of combination
vaccines that could reduce the number of immunizations their child receives
each visit.
The free
tip sheet is available now by logging on to www.nursetips.org.
About ANA, ACNP and NAPNAP
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the only full-service professional
organization representing the nation's 2.7 million Registered Nurses through
its constituent member nurses associations. Through the
American Nurses Foundation (ANF),
ANA has been involved in vaccine safety and childhood immunization
initiatives for more than eight years. Currently, ANF sponsors the
Immunization Nursing Network Provider Outreach Education and Resources
project, through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. For more information, go to the website at
http://nursingworld.org/innpower/.
The American College of Nurse
Practitioners (ACNP) is one of the largest nurse practitioner
organizations providing representation and advocacy for the profession.
Membership includes individual NPs, one group, and 28 state and 6 national
NP affiliate organizations. In addition to promoting the nurse practitioner
as a direct provider of health care services, ACNP is committed to achieving
a high-quality, prevention-based health care system that is accessible for
all. Responsible advocacy for, and education of, patients and the public
about health-related matters is a high priority.
The National Association of Pediatric
Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) is the professional organization that
advocates for children (infants through young adults) and provides
leadership for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners who deliver primary health care
in a variety of settings.
This educational campaign was made possible partially via a grant from
GlaxoSmithKline.
# # #
These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll
conducted from July 22 through July 30, 2002. A panel sample of 1,000 new
and expectant parents was used to identify a nationally representative
sampling of households with children ages 0-24 months. The results presented
are reflective of the population of households with children 24 months and
younger within +/-3.2%.
Related links on immunization:
Voices for
Childhood Immunization Tip Sheet
Immunization
Fact Sheet
Immunization
Nursing Network Provider Outreach Education and Resources (INNPOWER)
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