Flu Pamphlet Impacts Parents’ Decision to Vaccinate Kids

A new study by researchers at Columbia University has found handing a pamphlet about influenza (flu) to parents in pediatricians’ waiting rooms can have a significant impact on increasing the uptake of the flu vaccine. The study included 400 parent-and-child pairs at pediatric clinics in northern Manhattan who answered a brief questionnaire to assess their attitudes toward the flu shot and the intent to vaccinate. One-third received a one-page handout with local information about the flu, another third received a one-page handout with national information about the flu, and the rest received usual care with no handout. Both handouts emphasized the risk of getting the flu, the seriousness of the disease and vaccine effectiveness. Providers were unaware of the parents’ study participation.

Results showed nearly 72 percent of children whose parents were given either fact sheet were vaccinated before the end of the season compared to around 65 percent of those who received usual care. Parents who received the national handout were more likely to have their child vaccinated on the day of the clinic visit (59 percent) compared to those who didn’t receive either handout (53 percent). Parents who had fewer concerns about vaccination were more likely to vaccinate their children by the end of the season (74 percent versus 59 percent of parents with significant concerns) and on the day of the clinic visit (59 percent and 45 percent), respectively. Approximately 90 percent of parents who said they planned to vaccinate their children did so by the end of the flu season. “We found that a low-cost handout that can be easily implemented in any pediatrics practice had a significant and meaningful impact on influenza vaccination in children,” said Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics and population and family health at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and senior author of the paper.

Future studies will compare the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and feasibility of different methods of delivering educational information about influenza, including handouts, text messages, video and interactive social media.