Connecting with People Who Have Suffered from Diseases Can Change Attitudes Toward Vaccines

A study that tested whether vaccine-hesitant students who may be unfamiliar with the consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) might be swayed when confronted with the symptoms and dangers of VPDs found introducing them to people affected by VPDs can decrease vaccine hesitancy. The study, conducted by researchers in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Brigham Young University (BYU), assessed 425 BYU students’ attitudes about vaccines by surveys before and after interviews with individuals who experienced a VPD (students were picked since many will become future parents). Vaccine-hesitant students who conducted a VPD interview but received no additional vaccine educational materials were significantly more likely to become pro-vaccine (68 percent) than students who conducted an autoimmune interview and received no additional educational materials. Additionally, students whose interviewees experienced intense physical suffering or physical limitations or students who were enrolled in a course with intensive VPD and vaccine curriculum had significantly increased vaccine attitudes.

“It is possible to influence people’s attitudes towards vaccines by showing the real-world consequences of not vaccinating,” said Brian Poole, PhD, one of theresearchers and an associate professor at BYU. “Since most people have not experienced the consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases, the minuscule risks of vaccination start to seem larger.”

The World Health Organization recently listed vaccine hesitancy in its top 10 threats to global health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned the U.S. may soon lose its measles elimination status because of several urban-center outbreaks. According to Dr. Poole, urban areas are particularly vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases.