Immunization rejection in southern Alberta: a comparison of the perspectives of mothers and health professionals
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Date
2015
Authors
Vandenberg, Shannon Y.
Kulig, Judith Celene
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ingram School of Nursing
Abstract
Qualitative grounded theory was used to compare and contrast the understanding and decision-making process of non-immunizing mothers and health professionals’ perceptions of these mothers’ understanding and decision-making process. The sample comprised 8 mothers with purposefully unimmunized children under the age of 6 years and 12 health professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data generated were analyzed using data immersion, memo-writing, and 3 stages of coding. The mothers and health professionals identified similar, interrelated factors influencing the mothers’ decision, categorized into 4 groups: emotions, beliefs, facts, and information. Three primary themes were evident: the health professionals emphasized the influence of religion in decision-making to a greater extent than did the mothers, the meaning of evidence appeared to differ for mothers and health professionals, and mothers revealed a mistrust of health professionals. Immunization is a public health issue; collaboration and understanding are necessary to promote positive health outcomes in children.
Description
Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) applies
Keywords
Decision-making , Mothers , Public health , Nurse relationships , Professional issues
Citation
Vandenberg, S. Y., & Kulig, J. C. (2015). Immunization rejection in southern Alberta: A comparison of the perspectives of mothers and health professionals. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 47(2), 81-96.