“If they tell me to get it, I’ll get it. If they don’t….”: Immunization decision-making processes of immigrant mothers
Abstract
This paper aims to understand information-gathering and decision-making processes of immigrant mothers for scheduled childhood vaccines, vaccination during pregnancy, seasonal flu and pandemic vaccination. Our three main findings on information gathering and use in vaccination decisions were: 1) participants in all three communities passively received immunization information. Most mothers learned about vaccine practices exclusively from health care practitioners during scheduled visits. Social networks were primary sources of information in origin countries but were lost during immigration to Canada; 2) participants demonstrated universal trust in vaccines (i.e., no anti-vaccination sentiment). They were comfortable in receiving vaccines for themselves and their children, regardless of past adverse reactions; 3) participants’ recollection of the H1N1 vaccination campaign was almost nil, demonstrating the lack of reach of public health vaccination campaigns to designated priority groups (pregnant women and children) in Alberta. Our results highlight the limitations of Alberta’s current vaccination communication strategies in reaching immigrant women. When immigrant mothers receive vaccination information, our results indicate they will likely follow recommendations. However, our study shows that current communication strategies are not making this information accessible to immigrant women, which limits their ability to make informed vaccination decisions for themselves and their children.
Notes
Location
Edmonton, Alberta
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
Participants have moved to Canada with in the last eight years
Community organizations
Multicultural Health Brokers of Edmonton (MCHB)
Key findings
This research explores information-gathering and decision-making processes of immigrant mothers for scheduled childhood vaccines, vaccination during pregnancy, seasonal flu and pandemic vaccination. The main findings of the study reveal that Alberta’s vaccination communication strategies are not effective enough to reach immigrant women because the participants learned about vaccine practices exclusively from health care practitioners during scheduled visits although none of the immigrant women interviewed were not against receiving vaccines for themselves and their children, regardless of past adversereactions.
Gaps identified
Limitations in Alberta’s current vaccination communication strategies in reaching immigrant women. Current communication strategies are not effective enough to reach immigrant women, “which limits their ability to make informed vaccination decisions for themselves and their children.”
Key populations
Refugee mothers
Key recommendations
Communications strategies should use creative, informal and language-appropriate information delivery methods and materials and health clinics and agencies that deliver immigrant and refugee services should be engaged for this purpose.
Open-access – Yes
https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/cjph.106.4803