Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 1984 Fall;17(3):313–325. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1984.17-313

Increasing the immunization of preschool children; an evaluation of applied community interventions.

J M Yokley, D S Glenwick
PMCID: PMC1307948  PMID: 6439714

Abstract

We evaluated the relative impact of four procedures designed to encourage parents to obtain immunizations for their children. In a public health setting, the families of 1,133 immunization-deficient preschool children were randomly assigned to six conditions: (a) a general prompt; (b) a more client-specific prompt; (c) a specific prompt and increased public health clinic access; (d) a specific prompt and monetary incentives; (e) contact control; and (f) no contact control. All interventions, except the general prompt, produced some evidence of improvement when compared with the control groups. The monetary incentive group revealed the largest effect, followed by the increased access group, specific prompt group, and general prompt group, respectively. The data suggest that relatively powerful and immediate effects on preschoolers' clinic attendance for immunization may be produced by monetary incentives in conjunction with client-specific prompts. However, client-specific prompts alone appear to be the most cost-effective of the interventions.

Full text

PDF
313

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bunck T. J., Iwata B. A. Increasing senior citizen participation in a community-based nutritious meal program. J Appl Behav Anal. 1978 Spring;11(1):75–86. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1978.11-75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Byrne E. B., Schaffner W., Dini E. F., Case G. E. Infant immunization surveillance: cost vs effect. A prospective, controlled evaluation of a large-scale program in Rhode Island. JAMA. 1970 May 4;212(5):770–773. doi: 10.1001/jama.212.5.770. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Everett P. B., Hayward S. C., Meyers A. W. The effects of a token reinforcement procedure on bus ridership. J Appl Behav Anal. 1974 Spring;7(1):1–9. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1974.7-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Geller E. S., Paterson L., Talbott E. A behavioral analysis of incentive prompts for motivating seat belt use. J Appl Behav Anal. 1982 Fall;15(3):403–413. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Greene B. F., Neistat M. D. Behavior analysis in consumer affairs: encouraging dental professionals to provide consumers with shielding from unnecessary X-ray exposure. J Appl Behav Anal. 1983 Spring;16(1):13–27. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1983.16-13. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hingson R. Obtaining optimal attendance at mass immunization programs. Health Serv Rep. 1974 Jan-Feb;89(1):53–64. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Houten R. V., Nau P. A. Feedback interventions and driving speed: A parametric and comparative analysis. J Appl Behav Anal. 1983 Fall;16(3):253–281. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1983.16-253. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Iwata B. A., Becksfort C. M. Behavioral research in preventive dentistry: educational and contingency management approaches to the problem of patient compliance. J Appl Behav Anal. 1981 Summer;14(2):111–120. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1981.14-111. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Marks J. S., Halpin T. J., Irvin J. J., Johnson D. A., Keller J. R. Risk factors associated with failure to receive vaccinations. Pediatrics. 1979 Sep;64(3):304–309. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Martin D. A., Fleming S. J., Fleming T. G., Scott D. C. An evaluation of immunization status of white children in a Kentucky County. Public Health Rep. 1969 Jul;84(7):605–610. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Martin D. A., Scott D. C., Underwood W. F., Thurber D. C. Measles vaccination study in Hopkins County, Ky. --1966. J Ky Med Assoc. 1967 Jul;65(7):675–passim. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Olson D. G., Levy R. L., Evans C. A., Jr, Olson S. K. Enhancement of high risk children's utilization of dental services. Am J Public Health. 1981 Jun;71(6):631–634. doi: 10.2105/ajph.71.6.631. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Reiss M. L., Bailey J. S. Visiting the dentist: a behavioral community analysis of participation in a dental health screening and referral program. J Appl Behav Anal. 1982 Fall;15(3):353–362. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-353. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Reiss M. L., Piotrowski W. D., Bailey J. S. Behavioral community psychology: encouraging low-income parents to seek dental care for their children. J Appl Behav Anal. 1976 WINTER;9(4):387–397. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1976.9-387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rosen G. M., Lichtenstein E. An employee incentive program to reduce cigarette smoking. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1977 Oct;45(5):957–957. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. White J. "Because we care.". Am Educ. 1976 Dec;12(10):26–28. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wolf M. M. Social validity: the case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. J Appl Behav Anal. 1978 Summer;11(2):203–214. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1978.11-203. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Young S. A., Halpin T. J., Johnson D. A., Irvin J. J., Marks J. S. Effectiveness of a mailed reminder on the immunization levels of infants at high risk of failure to complete immunizations. Am J Public Health. 1980 Apr;70(4):422–424. doi: 10.2105/ajph.70.4.422. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

RESOURCES