Parental Trust in Health Information Sources and Influenza Vaccination in Children

BACKGROUND: Despite recommendations, influenza vaccination rates among children remain low. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that coverage in Michigan for the 2010-2011 influenza season was 46%.  Parental trust in health information sources has been a focus of investigation among those interested in improving vaccine uptake. Previous studies show trust varies by type of information source and parental demographic characteristics, but there is limited data regarding the direct association of trust with influenza vaccination in children.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to test the hypothesis that differing trust levels among information sources are associated with likelihood of influenza vaccination. A survey was conducted in March 2012 using a convenience sample (N = 99) of parents in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The outcome was parental self-report of child influenza vaccination status. A four-point scale was used to assess parents’ trust in sources of health information. Bivariate analysis using chi-square testing and multivariate logistic regression were used to investigate the relationship between trust and vaccination.

RESULTS: Overall, 33% did not vaccinate or plan to vaccinate their children. All parents except 1 reported they would trust information from health care providers a lot or somewhat. Adjusting for parental demographic factors, as overall trust in non-medical sources increased the likelihood of vaccination decreased (OR 0.16, 95% CI: 0.03, 1.01). Higher trust in religious organizations (OR 0.07, 95% CI: 0.005, 0.99), complementary health providers (OR 0.14, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.52), and books (OR 0.17, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.73) were the strongest predictors of negative vaccination status.

CONCLUSIONS: Even with high levels of trust in healthcare providers, parents who also place a high level of trust in non-medical sources of health information were less likely to vaccinate their children for influenza. Therefore, public health efforts to increase influenza vaccination uptake should consider broader strategies to influence parental attitudes outside of health care provider channels.