Three-quarters of first-time expectant mothers are planning on following the recommended vaccine schedule, and the 25 percent of mothers who do not differ in many ways from those who do, according to a study led by the CDC and the University of Georgia.
The survey was conducted between June and September 2014 to assess expectant mothers' vaccination plans, information-seeking behaviors and beliefs.
The following are four additional findings from the survey:
- Nearly all expectant mothers reported believing vaccinations were important (25 percent) or very important (59.5 percent) for keeping children healthy.
- Of the 25 percent of mothers who did not plan to follow vaccine schedules, 10.5 planned to spread out the recommended vaccines, 4 percent planned to have their child receive some but not all of the recommended vaccinations and the remaining 10.5 percent were undecided as of their second trimester.
- "Mothers who weren't planning on following the schedule were relying primarily on Internet sources and family or friends for information," said study co-author Glen Nowak, director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication in UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
- The study's authors recommend that OB-GYNs, pediatricians and family physicians connect first-time mothers with vaccine information.