FA16 Immunization Module’s Updates

Anti-Intellectualism, Anti-vaccination, and Potential Solutions

The rise of anti-intellectualism is correlated with the rise of the anti-vaccination movement within the United States. Various factors drive anti-intellectualism, especially the increased accessibility to social media platforms and other forms of mass media culture. Propagation of misinformation thus can occur at higher rates than it has in the past and the masses of parents/patients have increased access to potential sources of misinformation about vaccination efficacy and the concept that vaccinations cause autism. Interestingly enough, parents who are hesitant to vaccinate their children tend to be older than 30 years, have a college degree, and have an income of $70,000 or greater (Opel). Targeting this demographic would thus be more fruitful in the physician struggle against anti-vaccination sentiments.

The manner in which physicians approach these vaccination hesitant parents can influence their decision-making process. Across the nation, there is a growing number of pediatric practices that fire families that do not vaccinate their children. While these practices are taking an aggressive stance against anti-vaccinators, they may be missing out on the opportunity to provide the correct information to these parents. Firing a patient based on their parents’ misconstrued conceptions may additionally validate that family’s mistrust of modern medicine (Rentmeester). More ground may be gained if physicians approach vaccination hesitant parents with the understanding that they both have a common goal: to keep the child healthy. Education is the key to reconstructing hesitant parents’ notions  of vaccination safety and necessity.

 

Sources:

Rentmeester, C. Professionalism, fidelity, and relationship-preservation: Navigating disagreement and frustration in clinical encounters. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Aug; 9(8): 1812-1814.

Opel DJ, Diekema DS, Lee NR, Marcuse EK. Social Marketing as a Strategy to Increase Immunization Rates. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(5):432-437. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.42.

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