PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Freed, Gary L.
AU  - Clark, Sarah J.
AU  - Butchart, Amy T.
AU  - Singer, Dianne C.
AU  - Davis, Matthew M.
TI  - Sources and Perceived Credibility of Vaccine-Safety Information for Parents
AID  - 10.1542/peds.2010-1722P
DP  - 2011 May 01
TA  - Pediatrics
PG  - S107--S112
VI  - 127
IP  - Supplement 1
4099  - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/Supplement_1/S107.short
4100  - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/Supplement_1/S107.full
SO  - Pediatrics2011 May 01; 127
AB  - CONTEXT: The source of health information can have an impact on the manner and frequency of its use. In the arena of vaccine safety, a variety of sources promulgate information from very different perspectives. The spectrum runs from traditional sources such as public health officials and physicians to nontraditional sources, such as celebrities.OBJECTIVE: To assess what proportion of parents trust vaccine information from different sources and whether different groups of parents vary in their trust of such information.METHODS: In January 2009, as part of a larger study of parents and nonparents, 2521 online surveys were fielded to a nationally representative sample of parents of children aged ≤17 years. The main outcome measure was the source credibility of vaccine-safety information used by parents.RESULTS: The response rate was 62%. Parents reported trusting their children's doctor for vaccine-safety information most often (76% endorsed a lot of trust), followed by other health care providers (26%), government vaccine experts/officials (23%), and family and friends (15%). In contrast, celebrities were trusted a lot by 2% of the respondents and not at all by 76% of the respondents. Levels of trust in specific sources of vaccine-safety information varied significantly by gender (women > men) and race/ethnicity (Hispanics > other groups).CONCLUSIONS: Although most parents place a lot of trust in their child(ren)'s physician, parents' trust in non–health professional sources for such information should not be discounted. Those who design public health efforts to provide evidence-based information must recognize that different strategies may be required to reach some groups of parents who use other information sources.