Document Type

Poster

Associated Faculty

Dr. Valerie Herbert

Sponsoring Academic Department

School of Nursing

Publication Date

2024

Abstract/ Summary

In a generation where news, information, and data are shared across social media platforms, it is common for scientific facts to get skewed and feed individuals false and inaccurate information. A literature review was conducted to determine the impact of social media on parents of children ages 0-5 on vaccination rates, compared to when information was provided by healthcare providers. Vaccinations are a critical way to protect individuals, especially children, from harm of infectious diseases. Children ages zero to five are in pivotal stages of their lives where they are prone to developing sickness and potentially disease. Our literature search was centered around understanding the impact of social media on vaccination rates; initial search of databases for literature review included CINAHL, google scholar, and PubMed was done by using key terms: vaccination rates, parental decision-making, childhood immunization, and social media. Exclusion criteria consisted of children older than the age of five, publication dates older than five years, and studies outside of the United States. Results from the literature indicated misinformation leads to decreased vaccination rates, and that there is a need to promote trust in healthcare providers communicating evidence-based vaccination recommendations allowing parents to understand the benefits of vaccinations.

Version

pre-print (i.e. pre-refereeing)

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