Factors Influencing Vaccination Decisions in African American Mothers of Preschool Age Children

Rates and coverage levels of immunizations of African-American children are reduced compared to other races. Few studies have identified factors that influence vaccination decisions of African-American mothers. This study assessed the mothers\u27 vaccination decisions using a self-administered questionnaire and a screening instrument for determining health literacy. This instrument is called Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). The sample was 92 African American mothers, recruited from a large metropolitan church in Jacksonville, Florida, who had at least one child under the age of seven. A cross-sectional research design was used to administer survey instruments to identify and interpret parental barriers and decision-making regarding childhood vaccination. The results of this study showed that the there was a decrease in scores across the levels of education which indicated that education had a significant impact on the parental perception for the vaccination of their children. Interventions can now be tailored to improve the childhood immunization rates and provide a foundation for developing effective childhood vaccination educational materials for this population