Mothers' intentions and the immunization of their infants

One hundred and seventy-eight mothers who had recently been delivered were interviewed before discharge from hospital to ascertain their initial intentions about vaccination of their children. Nine months later the behaviour of 154 mothers was checked from health service records; 24 were lost to follow-up.One hundred and forty-one (92 per cent) of the infants had received at least one dose of vaccine against polio, diphtheria and tetanus. Eighty-five infants (63 per cent of 135) had received at least one dose of vaccine against whooping-cough; 19 mothers had been advised against the vaccine. Failure to have their children vaccinated against whooping-cough correlated with the mothers' initial intentions, although a high proportion of mothers who were initially against the vaccine had started vaccination by the time their child was nine months old. Mothers attending general practitioners were more likely to have their infants vaccinated against whooping-cough than those attending community health clinics, and this difference was not explained by the social characteristics of the mothers nor by more positive early intentions among the mothers who attended general practitioners.