Table 2.
Beliefs of 158 respondents about MMR vaccination by their attitudes to vaccination after use of a web based MMR decision aid. Values are numbers (percentages) of respondents rating advantages or disadvantages as “Very important” or answering “Yes” to questions about information needs for decision making
|
Pros and cons of vaccination and information needs
|
Attitude to MMR vaccination
|
|
|---|---|---|
| “Leaning toward” (n=87) | “Undecided” or “Leaning away from” (n=71) | |
| Advantages of MMR vaccination | ||
| My child will be better protected from common symptoms of diseases such as rash, high fever, red and painful eyes, swollen glands, and joint pain | 52/83 (63) | 19/63 (30) |
| My child will be better protected from the potentially serious complications of these diseases (such as encephalitis or death) | 81/83 (98) | 53/63 (84) |
| I will not have to take time off work to care for my child if he or she gets one or more of these diseases | 11/83 (13) | 4/63 (6) |
| My child won't face the restrictions imposed by some schools and childcare centres that exclude children who have not been vaccinated | 33/83 (40) | 9/63 (14) |
| My vaccinated child is less likely to pass on diseases to the small number of children who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons | 56/82 (68) | 16/63 (25) |
| Disadvantages of MMR vaccination | ||
| My child may have some localised swelling where he or she received the injection, have a non-infectious rash, mild cold and flu-like symptoms, or a fever 5-12 days after the vaccination | 6/75 (8) | 13/63 (21) |
| My child may be the 1 in a million children who experiences a serious complication such as a severe allergic reaction or encephalitis | 43/75 (57) | 49/63 (78) |
| If my child experiences a severe complication I may feel guilty or responsible for getting him or her vaccinated | 37/74 (50) | 47/61 (77) |
| Even though the association between MMR and bowel disease and autism has been disproved, I might feel some concern about these diseases and vaccination | 20/75 (27) | 49/63 (78) |
| If I choose to vaccinate my child I may be socially ostracised by friends, family, or members of my cultural or religious group who do not agree with vaccination | 2/75 (3) | 5/62 (8) |
| Information needs for decision making | ||
| Do you know what options are available to you? | 74/81 (91) | 51/65 (78) |
| Do you know which advantages of MMR vaccination are most important to you? | 81/81 (100) | 59/64 (92) |
| Do you know which disadvantages of MMR vaccination are most important to you? | 80/81 (99) | 62/65 (95) |
| Do you feel that you have enough information to make decision about whether to vaccinate your child with MMR? | 67/81 (83) | 32/66 (48) |
Denominators vary because respondents did not answer all the questions.