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. 2011 Jan;16(1):e1–e5. doi: 10.1093/pch/16.1.e1

TABLE 1.

Knowledge of, beliefs toward and barriers to childhood immunizations reported by parents or guardians

Knowledge of and beliefs toward childhood immunizations n (%) 95% CI
Do you understand the diseases that immunizations help protect against?
 Yes 595 (94.7) 91.2–98.1
Did you believe that your child was fully up to date with immunizations?
 No – did not know child was behind 514 (81.8) 75.8–87.7
 My child has an appointment booked 66 (10.5) 4.5–16.4
 My child just had an appointment 27 (4.3) 1.1–7.4
 I do not plan to immunize my child at this time 21 (3.3) 0.5–6.0
Should children be immunized when they are sick with a minor illness like a cold?
 No, they should not be 505 (80.3%) 63.4–77.3
Do you believe that childhood immunizations have serious known side effects?
 Yes, they have known side effects 155 (24.7) 18.0–31.3
Do you believe that childhood immunizations have serious unknown side effects?
 Yes, they have unknown side effects 185 (29.5) 22.5–36.4
Barriers to immunization of your child

Forgot to immunize
 Yes 361 (57.5) 49.9–65.0
Do not have time in your day
 Yes 188 (29.9) 22.8–36.9
Do not have an immunization clinic nearby
 Yes 56 (8.9) 4.5–13.2
Lack access to transportation
 Yes 75 (11.9) 6.9–16.8
Do not trust the medical community
 Yes 38 (6.1) 2.4–9.7
Personally had a bad experience with health care in the past
 Yes 79 (12.6) 7.5–17.6
Had a bad experience when your child was immunized
 Yes 44 (7.0) 3.0–10.9
Personal objections to childhood immunization
 Yes 75 (11.9) 6.9–16.8
If YES to personal objections, what is your objection to immunization? (n=75)
 Cultural/religious 3 (4.0) 1.0–6.9
 Homeopathic 12 (16.0) 10.3–21.6
 Safety 60 (80.0) 73.8–86.6