Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: May 8, 2020
Date Accepted: Sep 2, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Parental Online Information Access and Childhood Vaccination Decisions: A Scoping Review
ABSTRACT
Immunizing children throughout their early years prevents the spread of communicable disease and decreases the morbidity and mortality associated with many vaccine preventable diseases. Searching online allows individuals rapid access to health information. A scoping review of peer reviewed, and grey literature was undertaken to examine parents use of online information seeking related to vaccine information and to understand how parents utilize this information to inform decisions about vaccinating their children. Of the 34 papers included in the review, 4 relevant themes and subthemes were identified: information seeking, online information resources, online vaccine content, and trust in healthcare providers. Examination of the literature revealed conflicting information regarding parents use of social media and online resources to inform decisions around vaccinating their children. Misinformation regarding vaccine risks online is highly prevalent. Apart from one study, parents’ digital health literacy skill was not considered and yet the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information impacts parents’ ability to effectively evaluate online vaccination information. The influence of online vaccine information on parental vaccine practices remains uncertain.
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