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| Researchers are looking for ways to counter skepticism about vaccination. |
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Anti -vaccine websites are
misinforming parents, study says
any anti -vaccination websites use a
" considerable amount " of misinformation , as
well as pseudoscience and anecdotes to reinforce
the perception that vaccines are dangerous ,
according to research presented this week at the
American Public Health Association's Annual
Meeting in Chicago , IL.
Researchers are looking for ways to counter
skepticism about vaccination.
Childhood vaccines are key to preventing diseases
and epidemics, but growing numbers of parents
choose to delay or refuse vaccination, for a variety
of reasons. The Internet is often cited as a source
of vaccine information - and also controversy.
In previous comparisons of pro-vaccine and anti-
vaccine websites, pro-vaccination sites were found
to focus on evidence-based scientific research
about vaccines and government-endorsed
vaccination-related practices.
In contrast, anti-vaccine websites focus on creating
communities of people affected by vaccines and
vaccine-related practices, creating a personal
framework that is used to challenge the information
presented in the scientific literature and
government documents.
Mainstream health communities are concerned
about the lack of success in persuading parents
who do not wish to vaccinate, despite the use of
educational and misinformation-correcting
messages.
Unvaccinated people at risk of disease
In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recorded the highest number of
measles cases since measles was declared
eliminated in 2000.
Fast facts about vaccination
• 83% of children aged 19-35 months old
are fully vaccinated against diphtheria,
tetanus , pertussis (DTaP)
• 93% are fully vaccinated against polio
• 92% are vaccinated against measles,
mumps and rubella (MMR).
Learn more about immunization
The majority of those who caught it were
unvaccinated. The CDC state that measles can
spread when it reaches a community where groups
of people have not received the vaccine. If the
percentage of people vaccinated against measles,
for example, is below 92%, this dramatically
increases the chance of an epidemic.
Lead author of the current study, Meghan Moran,
associate professor in the Bloomberg School's
Department of Health, Behavior and Society, and
colleagues wanted to understand the strategies
through which anti-vaccine advocates create such
strongly held anti-vaccine attitudes - and to use
this insight to develop more effective vaccine
promotion strategies.
They examined four search engines, Google, Bing,
Yahoo and Ask Jeeves, using terms like
"immunization dangers" and "vaccine danger," and
others identified using Google Trends.
After eliminating duplicates, they had a mix of
nearly 500 personal websites and blogs, Facebook
pages and health websites.
The content was analyzed for persuasive strategies
used, as well as for the specific beliefs about
vaccines being presented, including vaccine
misinformation and its sources.
Two thirds of anti- vaccine sites 'are
misleading'
The team also coded websites for lifestyle
indicators, in order to identify additional values,
attitudes, behaviors and preferences associated
with the anti-vaccine movement. Through analyzing
behaviors and values co-promoted by the websites,
they hoped to develop better-targeted materials that
could help promote vaccination.
Misinformation was common in the anti-vaccine
websites: 65.6% claim that vaccines are
dangerous, 62.2% that they cause autism and
41.1% that they cause "brain injury." To support
these claims, 64.7% used scientific evidence and
30% used anecdotes.
Regarding values, 41% mentioned choice, 20.5%
freedom and 17.4% individuality.
Use of alternative medicine was promoted by 18.8%
of sites and homeopathy by 10.2%. Healthy diet was
promoted in 18.5% of cases, and 5.2% supported an
organic diet. In 7.1% of websites, cleansing one's
body of toxins was promoted, 5.5% supported
breastfeeding and 6.8% co-promoted religiosity.
Moran says:
Understanding the strategies used to further an
anti-vaccine message is useful for the development
of strategies to counteract the negative messages
and promote childhood vaccinations. Gaining an in-
depth understanding of the broader culture
supporting anti-vaccine decisions can help to
inform tailored pro-vaccine education and advocacy
messages.
Posted by: Philip Ochika