Belief About Mandatory School Vaccinations and Vaccination Refusal Among Ohio Appalachian Parents: Do Demographic and Religious Factors, General Health, and Political Affiliation Play a Role?

Purpose: To examine how demographic, general health, religious, and political characteristics influenced beliefs about mandatory school vaccinations and history of vaccination refusal for children among Ohio Appalachian parents.

Methods: In 2013 and 2014, baseline data were obtained from parents (n = 337) of girls aged 9-17 from 12 counties in rural Ohio Appalachia enrolled in the Community Awareness, Resources and Education (CARE II) Project. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify correlates of parental beliefs about mandatory school vaccinations and history of refusing a doctor-recommended vaccine for their child(ren).

Results of a Multilevel Intervention Trial to Increase Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Uptake among Adolescent Girls.

Background: Uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is low in Appalachian Ohio and areas with high cervical cancer rates.

Methods: We conducted a group-randomized trial among 12 counties in Appalachian Ohio randomized to receive either an HPV vaccine (intervention counties) or influenza vaccine (comparison counties) multilevel intervention (MLI). Parents (n = 337) who had a daughter aged 9 to 17 years who had not received the HPV vaccine were recruited from commercial lists.