Systematic Literature Review of the Anti-Vaccine Movement and Childhood Vaccinations
Date
4-10-2021
Location
Online
Description
The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the impact of the declining vaccination rates in the United States, determine the reasons as to why some parents do not vaccinate their children, identify who makes up the anti-vaccination movement, and the influence of social media on the ability of the anti-vaccine movement to spread their ideas. The search was limited to articles that are English, peer-reviewed, and published between 2015 and 2020. Studies completed outside the United States, adult vaccines, and vaccines not part of the CDC’s vaccine schedule were excluded. The online databases used to find articles include Nursing & Allied Health, CINAHL, and PubMed. Seventeen articles and government websites were used in the systematic literature review. The five most common apprehensions surrounding vaccinations that parents have are the following: overwhelm the immune system, cause autism, contain harmful ingredients, and natural disease provide more effective immune response, and the diseases that vaccines prevent are not present anymore. The anti-vaccine movement is mostly composed of Caucasian women who are married, have children, have high educational backgrounds, and have high household incomes. Social media and celebrities play a key role in spreading the ideas of the anti-vaccine movement.
Presentation Type
Poster
Systematic Literature Review of the Anti-Vaccine Movement and Childhood Vaccinations
Online
The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the impact of the declining vaccination rates in the United States, determine the reasons as to why some parents do not vaccinate their children, identify who makes up the anti-vaccination movement, and the influence of social media on the ability of the anti-vaccine movement to spread their ideas. The search was limited to articles that are English, peer-reviewed, and published between 2015 and 2020. Studies completed outside the United States, adult vaccines, and vaccines not part of the CDC’s vaccine schedule were excluded. The online databases used to find articles include Nursing & Allied Health, CINAHL, and PubMed. Seventeen articles and government websites were used in the systematic literature review. The five most common apprehensions surrounding vaccinations that parents have are the following: overwhelm the immune system, cause autism, contain harmful ingredients, and natural disease provide more effective immune response, and the diseases that vaccines prevent are not present anymore. The anti-vaccine movement is mostly composed of Caucasian women who are married, have children, have high educational backgrounds, and have high household incomes. Social media and celebrities play a key role in spreading the ideas of the anti-vaccine movement.