Homeschooling parents' practices and beliefs about childhood immunizations.

Objective: Concern over the rise of vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) coupled with the increasing popularity of homeschooling makes understanding the attitudes and behaviors of homeschoolers regarding immunizations a critical area of investigation. This study was a pilot to investigate the immunization attitudes of homeschooling parents and the vaccination status of their children.

Methods: In the spring of 2010, online surveys were sent to a convenience sample of 707 homeschooling parents in Western Pennsylvania with children ages 0-18 years of age.