Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Hilda Shepeard

Abstract

United States public health guidelines for mandating vaccination of school age children for preventable diseases is increasingly ineffective. Little is known, however, about what sociocultural factors influence parents’ and legal guardians’ decisions to adhere to, hesitate against, or refuse to abide by immunization public health guidelines. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover and better understand sociocultural factors that contribute to or detract from parents and legal guardians’ adherence to recommended vaccination schedules. The theoretical framework for this study was Coleman’s Rational Choice Theory. Research questions involved sociocultural factors and reference groups that influence parents and legal guardians’ vaccination decision-making. A qualitative phenomenological design was used with criterion and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 15 parents and legal guardians across racial demographics who had children in kindergarten in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Data were collected using a researcher-developed interview guide and a two coding cycle technique to discover and analyze three emerging themes: sociocultural beliefs, reference groups who’s attitudes and interests are valued, and external vaccine communication. Reference groups and individualist or collectivist sociocultural beliefs heavily influenced parental decision-making involving public health guidelines. Implications for positive social change include enhanced budgets for county health departments to create participative vaccine education that is reflective of citizens’ sociocultural beliefs to promote public health guidelines.

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