Web-based social media intervention can positively influence parental vaccine behaviors

Pregnant women, who received vaccine information through an interactive website monitored by a clinical expert, were more likely to vaccinate their children than those who received usual care alone, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal Pediatrics. The current research builds upon survey knowledge; a previous Pediatrics study (2011) that found 10 to 15 percent of parents chose to delay or refuse one or more vaccines for their children; and a Kaiser Permanente study in JAMA (2013) that found an increasing number of parents were choosing to delay or refuse one or more vaccines for their children. This most recent Kaiser Permanente study, conducted in Colorado, examined the impact of a web-based intervention on the vaccination rates of 888 Colorado infants. “The results of this study suggest websites with interactive components have the potential to complement face-to-face clinical interactions,” said Jason Glanz, PhD, lead study author and senior investigator at...