Peer-reviewed article
Parental Attitudes Towards Vaccination in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comparative Study.
Svetlana I Erdes, Ivan S Samolygo, Mikhail P Kostinov, Olga L Lomakina, Ekaterina A Yablokova et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 215 parents to understand attitudes towards vaccination in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared to healthy children. While routine vaccination coverage was high in both groups before disease onset, 78% of parents of children with IBD stopped vaccinating after their child's diagnosis. The main barriers were parental misinterpretation of normal vaccine reactions and lack of clear information from doctors, with parents turning to the internet for health information instead. The findings show that vaccine hesitancy in this population stems from acquired fears after diagnosis rather than general anti-vaccination beliefs.
Key points
- Routine vaccination coverage was high and similar in both groups before disease onset (>93% in children under 6 years)
- After IBD onset, 78% of parents in the IBD group refused to continue vaccinating their children, despite 62% having initially positive attitudes towards vaccination
- Parents frequently misinterpreted normal post-vaccination reactions as serious vaccine complications
- Lack of information from attending physicians and heavy reliance on internet as primary information source were significant barriers to continued vaccination
- Over 30% of parents in both groups had not received adult vaccinations, indicating low revaccination rates
Limitations
The study does not identify which country or countries the research was conducted in, limiting generalisability. The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causation or track changes in parental behaviour over time.
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate parental attitudes towards vaccination in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), assess the level of adherence to immunization schedules, and identify key barriers hindering vaccination. Materials and Methods: A comparative survey was conducted involving 215 respondents, divided into an IBD group (109 parents of children with IBD) and a control group (106 parents of healthy children). The majority of respondents were mothers (96%) with higher education (81% and 79%, respectively) residing in a major metropolitan area. We assessed demographic data, vaccination history of both children and parents, sources of medical information, and reasons for vaccine refusal. Results: Routine vaccination coverage in children under 6 years of age was high and comparable in both groups (>93%). The majority of parents in the IBD group (n = 68; 62%) expressed a positive attitude towards vaccination. However, following the onset of IBD, only 24 (22%) continued vaccination, while 85 (78%) reported a categorical refusal to continue immunization. It was found that parents tend to misinterpret normal post-vaccination reactions as vaccine complications. A significant factor contributing to refusal is the lack of information from attending physicians and reliance on the Internet as a primary information source. Additionally, low rates of adult revaccination were noted, with over 30% of parents in both groups not being vaccinated in adulthood. Conclusions: The low vaccination rate in children with IBD after disease onset is driven not by initial anti-vaccination sentiment, but by acquired fears and a lack of professional communication from primary care providers and specialists. Improving immunization coverage requires the active implementation of educational programs for parents regarding vaccine safety during immunosuppressive therapy, as well as the development of specific guidelines for attending physicians.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Educational programs for parents regarding vaccine safety during immunosuppressive therapy and development of specific guidelines for physicians
- Population
- Parents of children with inflammatory bowel disease
Key finding
78% of parents of children with IBD reported categorical refusal to continue vaccination after disease onset