Abstract

This study involved determining why mothers hesitate to vaccinate their children and where they get their information about vaccinations. This descriptive qualitative study guided by the health belief model explored the influence social media has on mothers' perceived barriers to vaccinating their children. A descriptive qualitative approach was used, and one-on-one audio interviews were conducted via Zoom or in person with 19 participants. Participants were mothers 19 or older, had children between zero and 18, made medical decisions for their children who resided in their household, and sought information about vaccinations via healthcare providers, social media platforms, friends, or family. Participants were recruited using Facebook, the Walden University participant pool website, and a women's support meeting at a local hospital. Interviews were conducted until saturation was reached, and then the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step process for analysis. Results revealed six themes: source of information, trust in healthcare providers, vaccine safety, side effects, adequate information, and recommended CDC vaccination schedule. The study results can lead to social change by educating the public about the benefits of using selected social media sites based on evidence-based research findings when making vaccine decisions. Further studies are needed to determine which websites have factual information supported by research. Improving healthcare providers' knowledge about determining whether the information available to mothers is evidence-based may result in a larger immunized population from common childhood illnesses.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 31297222; ProQuest document ID: 3054176551. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Wendy M. Patterson, PhD

Sigma Membership

Psi Upsilon

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Descriptive/Correlational

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Vaccine Hesitancy, Social Media Influences, Decision-Making

Advisor

Mary M. Martin

Second Advisor

Donna J. Bailey

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

Walden University

Degree Year

2024

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2024-05-28

Full Text of Presentation

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