A recently published study led by a University of Idaho researcher found proximity to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases increases the likelihood that some skeptics would get vaccines, UI announced in a news release.
The study led by professor Florian Justwan’s study examined how proximity to a measles outbreak influences people skeptical of information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Justwan led a study published last year that focused on how political views influence a person’s likelihood to get vaccinated. His team found a person’s political opinions influence what sources they trust, which changes which information about vaccines they believe.
Justwan’s most recent study found vaccine skeptics may consider whether a disease outbreak has occurred near them when making decisions about vaccinations. Skeptics who lived closer to an outbreak were more likely to have positive opinions of vaccines, the study found, while those who lived further away from an outbreak were less likely to change their opinions about vaccines.
“The implication of our study is that some people base their vaccine decision-making to a considerable degree on whether or not a given disease occurs in close vicinity to their community,” Justwan said. “If someone has high confidence in institutions such as the CDC, this person is likely to vaccinate regardless of whether he or she lives close to a recent measles outbreak. Fostering public trust in institutions such as the CDC is an important objective from a public health perspective.”
In June, a Latah county resident contracted measles for the first time since 2001. The CDC officials estimate this year has had the greatest number of measles cases reported in the U.S. since 1992, as there have been 1,215 confirmed cases of measles from January to Aug. 22.
The study found about 61% of individuals who do not trust the CDC had positive opinions toward vaccines if they lived within 100 miles of an outbreak. That portion dropped to 39% if the individual lived within 500 miles of an outbreak and 17% if they lived within 1,000 miles of an outbreak. Justwan said in the news release that individuals who trust the CDC were likely to vaccinate themselves regardless of their proximity to an outbreak.
Explaining the potential effects of skepticism and hesitancy towards vaccines, the study found increased non-medical exemptions, decreased vaccinations and increased outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases play a role. Hesitant attitudes can be linked to media and peer influence, distrust of science, information access and socio-economic barriers, the most recent news release stated.
The data used in the study comes from a Jan. 2017 survey of 1,006 people in the U.S., the release stated, the same data set that was used in the team’s 2018 paper.
The study was published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One. The team will continue exploring factors that influence people’s decisions to vaccinate, according to the news release.
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]