Is the cultural context of mmr rejection a key to an effective public health discourse?
Open accessAbstract
Objectives (1) To explore the social and cultural influences, and health beliefs associated with low uptake of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella vaccine). (2) To describe and explore the prevalence of health beliefs associated with non-compliance with MMR, with a view to improving the personal relevance and impact of information for parents, in the context of persisting low uptake following public controversy.Methods We undertook a survey of mothers' experiences of and attitudes to the MMR, developed through ethnographic study, which was linked to maternal and child information on the Child Health Database in Brighton, England.Results Mothers interpret MMR risk through concepts of child health embedded in family health history, with a majority both of compliers and non-compliers holding that each child's immune system is unique. Cultural 'risk factors' for non-compliance relate strongly to the use of complementary healthcare, such as homeopathy, with evidence that rejection of vitamin K is associated with MMR non-compliance. Forty per cent, both of compliers and non-compliers, did not consider the possible benefits to other children of MMR.Conclusions These findings have paradoxical and challenging consequences for the promotion of immunization in the policy context of increasing emphasis on healthy choices. They demonstrate the need for immunization information that acknowledges and addresses lay concepts of immunity.
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The different polarity of the associations with vaccination is consonant with the notion that libertarians object to the government intrusion arising from mandatory vaccination programs, whereas people low on conservatism may oppose immunization because they distrust pharmaceutical companies.
“The different polarity of those associations is consonant with the notion that libertarians object to the government intrusion arising from mandatory vaccination programs [15], whereas people low on conservatism—who, by implication, are liberal or progressive—may oppose immunization because they distrust pharmaceutical companies [40].”
From The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in Predicting Rejection of Science (2013) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Cassell, J. A., Leach, M., Poltorak, M. S., Mercer, C. H., Iversen, A., & Fairhead, J. R.
- Affiliations
- The Royal Free Hospital (GB)
- University of Sussex (GB)
- Health Protection Agency (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Cassell, J.A.
- Venue
- Public Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-09
- Volume
- 120
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 783-794
- ISSN
- 0033-3506 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2068846565
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 4.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- kar.kent.ac.uk
- Locations
- Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Intramuscular injections and effects
- Keywords
- MMR vaccine, vaccine uptake, vaccine refusal, health beliefs, cultural context, maternal attitudes, complementary care, homeopathy, vitamin K, immunization promotion, public health discourse, child health
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Anthropology, Cultural, Attitude to Health, Child, Child Health Services, Child, Preschool, Culture, Decision Making, England, Female, Humans, Infant, Mothers, Physician-Patient Relations, Public Health, Surveys and Questionnaires, Immunization Programs, Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine
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