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.

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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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