Vaccines can help protect children from serious, even deadly, diseases. However, vaccination rates among rural Hispanic children remain lower than those living within urban settings. This raises an important question: what factors contribute to lower pediatric vaccination rates in these communities? Understanding these influences is essential to addressing vaccine hesitancy and bridging the gap.
A recent manuscript co-led by Kelley Pascoe, a graduate student, and Sonia Bishop, a research scientist in the research group of Dr. Linda Ko, a professor in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health at UW and Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, aims to shed some light to this question. Collaborating with Dr. Parth Shah, an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Sciences Division, the team aimed to identify the underlying factors that may influence pediatric COVID-19 vaccination decisions among Hispanic families in rural agricultural communities and to inform the development of interventions that can increase vaccine uptake.
For this manuscript, the team collected and analyzed qualitative data for a research study called ReOpening Schools Safely and Educating Youth (ROSSEY), a collaboration between the University of Washington Health Prevention Research Center, Fred Hutch Center for Community Health Promotion, Yakima School District, and Health Commons Learn to Return Program. The larger ROSSEY study, which serves an area where Hispanic residents make up 50% of the population, focuses on supporting students' safe return to school by providing students and families with information on COVID-19 preventative behaviors, testing, and vaccination. The study also partnered with community members who were involved as a community advisory board, co-investigators, and community health workers (CHWs).
Specifically, the manuscript aimed to capture the social, ethical, and behavioral factors that may influence COVID-19 vaccination decisions among parents, school staff, and students in a rural agricultural and predominantly Hispanic county in Washington State. Pascoe and Bishop explained that five main factors emerged as shaping parents' decisions to vaccinate their children: (1) COVID-19 vaccine concerns and misinformation; (2) others’ positive or negative COVID-19 vaccination or pandemic experiences; (3) participation in social or family activities; (4) the political climate and the politicization of the COVID-19 vaccine; and (5) health education and promotion of COVID-19 vaccines. Pascoe and Bishop also noted that misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine safety and concerns around immigration status or documentation requirements to receive a vaccination were among the most significant deterrents against vaccination. However, witnessing others’ positive vaccination experiences, the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, and health education on vaccines delivered by trusted community figures helped encourage vaccination.
Although the pandemic has waned, the team emphasized that their findings can be used to inform future broader public health efforts, with a particular focus on non-pandemic routine vaccinations. Recognizing misinformation as a key factor influencing vaccination decision-making, study authors emphasized the importance of future work aiming to understand “the most common sources of misinformation, effective strategies to prevent it, and how positive local healthcare narratives can be integrated earlier in vaccination campaigns.”
The spotlighted work was conducted in collaboration with the Yakima School District, Health Commons, and Fred Hutch Center for Community Health Promotion in Sunnyside, whose support in recruitment, implementation, and collecting community-based qualitative data contributed to the success of the project. Additionally, this project was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Translational Health Science at the University of Washington and the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement of the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/ Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium.
Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium member Dr. Linda Ko led this work as the Principal Investigator.
Pascoe KM, Bishop S, Ci X, Ramirez M, Perez G, Ibarra G, Garza L, Linde S, Duran MC, Chae HY, Quigley T, Hassell L, Garrison MM, Drain PK, Shah PD, Ko LK. Factors that shape COVID-19 pediatric vaccine decision-making in rural agricultural communities: A qualitative study. Vaccine. 2024 Oct 4;42(26):126389.
Joss Landazuri is a PhD candidate at the University of Washington in the Microbiology program working at the intersection of biomedical science, public policy, and science diplomacy. As a Latina scientist, communicator, and policy advocate, she is passionate about leveraging her academic training, personal background, and cultural heritage to engage underserved communities in both science and the policymaking process.
For the Media