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Vaccine refusal risk factors among parents of children with autism spectrum disorders

Özlem Bağ1, Sevay Alşen Güney2

  • 1Department of Social Pediatrics, University of Health Sciences, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir.

The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
|April 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Vaccine refusal rates significantly increased in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with younger siblings now at high risk. Addressing media literacy and well-child visits is crucial to prevent vaccine hesitancy in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

  • Vaccine refusal is a growing global health concern.
  • Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show increased vaccine refusal rates.
  • Parental vaccination behavior may differ in families with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Determine vaccine refusal (VR) rates in parents of children with ASD.
  • Identify risk factors associated with VR in this population.
  • Evaluate parental concerns regarding childhood vaccinations.

Main Methods:

  • A 4-part survey questionnaire was administered to parents of children with ASD.
  • Vaccination status of the child with ASD (baseline) and their younger sibling (current) was assessed.
  • Logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors for VR.

Main Results:

  • `Baseline VR` was 12.7%, increasing to `current VR` of 40% (p=0.001).
  • Risk factors for VR included high socioeconomic status (RR: 4.4), social media as primary information source (RR: 7), and lack of regular well-child visits for siblings (RR: 25).

Conclusions:

  • Parental vaccination behavior shifts after having a child with ASD, placing younger siblings at risk.
  • Pediatricians should carefully monitor vaccination uptake in younger siblings of children with ASD.
  • Improving media literacy and encouraging regular well-child visits are key strategies to combat VR.
Abstract

Keywords:
autism spectrum disorderchildhoodvaccination behaviorvaccine refusal

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