Most Tennessee parents support vaccines, but uptake is decreasing
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The vast majority of Tennessee parents support childhood vaccines, according to a new poll. But there are signs of increasing skepticism among a small but growing group of families.
Why it matters: The new poll results from Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt show trust in immunizations and pediatricians remains robust in Tennessee.
- But they also show that support is lagging behind critical thresholds that experts say are needed to make vaccines most effective.
By the numbers: In the newly released Vanderbilt Child Health Poll, which surveyed Tennessee parents late last year, about 84% of respondents said their children had or would receive most or all recommended immunizations.
- 77% of parents agreed that routine immunizations should be required before enrolling in school.
- 76% of parents ranked pediatricians as the most influential source for shaping their vaccine choices.
Zoom in: Some 30% of parents selected the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an influential source on immunizations, while 29% cited the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- 29% included close friends and family as influential sources.
Between the lines: There is a deepening rift between the federal government and medical establishment over inoculating kids.
- The Centers for Disease Control slashed the number of recommended vaccines for kids last year.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics subsequently released its own set of recommendations, which stuck with the longer list of recommended shots.
Reality check: While a large majority of Tennessee kindergarteners get required vaccines, the share of kids who don't get their shots has been growing.
State of play: The Tennessee Department of Health has a goal of 95% immunization. Experts say that coverage rate minimizes the risk of an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles.
Yes, but: Tennessee's coverage rate has been falling for four years, while exemption requests climbed. The immunization rates of kindergarteners were consistently near the state's 95% goal from 2015-2020 before they started ticking down to 92.3% last school year.
- "Declining immunization coverage rates increase the risk of outbreaks and rare but serious outcomes, including death, from vaccine preventable diseases among Tennessee children," a state report stated.
What they're saying: "Recent outbreaks of serious and preventable suffering from diseases like measles and pertussis highlight the very real consequences of immunization delays and refusals," Vanderbilt pediatrics professor and researcher Derek Williams said in a statement.
- Tennessee parents "support the sentiment that routine immunizations are safe, effective, and critically important. They also have concerns," Williams noted.
- "Their child's pediatrician is the right trusted source to address these concerns."