This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hambidge, S. J.
Right arrow Articles by Siegel, C. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hambidge, S. J.
Right arrow Articles by Siegel, C. D.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice

PEDIATRICS Vol. 104 No. 1 Supplement July 1999, pp. 158-163

Characteristics of Families Who Attend Free Vaccine Fairs

Received Dec 26, 1998; accepted Mar 9, 1999.

Simon J. Hambidge*, Dagger , Sally A. Easter*, Sharon MartinDagger , Paul Melinkovich*, Dagger , Jeffrey Brown*, Dagger , and Carol D. Siegel*

From the * Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, and Dagger  Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado.

Objective.  To determine the health care resources and perceived barriers to care of families attending free vaccine fairs.

Design.  A cross-sectional survey.

Setting.  Twelve free vaccine fairs in Denver, Colorado, in 1994.

Participants.  A total of 533 consecutive parents or guardians of children receiving vaccine at the fairs.

Interventions.  None.

Measurements/Results.  Survey respondents reported that their children received regular health care through a private physician or health maintenance organization (HMO) (47%), a public clinic (20%), or a hospital-based clinic (14%); 18% had no regular site for health care. Twenty-seven percent of the families carried private insurance, although less than half of these plans covered children's vaccines: 9% were enrolled in an HMO or a preferred provider organization and 13% had Medicaid, whereas 50% had no health insurance. Families who received primary care at a private physician's office (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.01-2.7) and those with no regular site for health care (OR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.01-4.0) were more likely than those who went to a public clinic or hospital clinic to report free vaccine as the most important reason for attending a vaccine fair. Conversely, families who received well-child care at a hospital clinic were more likely to identify no appointment needed as the most important reason (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.4-5.1). Families with private health insurance (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.05-4.0) or no health insurance (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.6) were more likely to identify free vaccine as the most important reason for attending a vaccine fair, whereas those enrolled in an HMO or preferred provider organization identified convenient time as the most important reason (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.2-8.3). Families with Medicaid (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.3-8.3) or with no insurance (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.02-4.6) were more likely than were those with private insurance to identify no appointment needed as the most important reason for attending a vaccine fair.

Conclusions.  Most families attending free vaccine fairs have a regular source of health care. For families with private health insurance or with no health insurance, the availability of free vaccine is the major reason to bring their children to a vaccine fair, whereas for families whose insurance routinely covers the cost of childhood vaccine (HMO, Medicaid), convenience is the major determinant.  Key words:  underimmunization, free vaccine fair, barriers to childhood immunization.