Previsit Screening for Parental Vaccine Hesitancy: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care
• Public health interventions
• Immunization research

Background:

• Vaccine hesitancy is a significant barrier to achieving high childhood immunization rates.
• Screening tools can identify vaccine-hesitant parents (VHPs).
• Interventions targeting VHPs may improve vaccine uptake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of vaccine hesitancy screening on childhood immunization status.
• To assess if providing providers with parent vaccine hesitancy information improves vaccine uptake.

Main Methods:

• Cluster randomized controlled trial in Washington state pediatric clinics.
• Identified VHPs using the Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines Survey (PACV).
• Intervention group parents completed the PACV, with results shared with providers; control group received placebo items.

Main Results:

• 24 clinics and 156 parents were enrolled; parent characteristics were similar between groups.
• No significant difference in mean days underimmunized at 8 months of age between intervention (25.2%) and control (19.1%) arms.
• Parental vaccine hesitancy screening did not lead to improved child immunization status.

Conclusions:

• Vaccine hesitancy screening, as implemented, was not associated with improved childhood vaccine uptake.
• Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for addressing vaccine hesitancy in clinical settings.