Sixty Percent of Moms Do Not Vaccinate Their Children Against Influenza, Despite Concerns About the Virus and its Complications (from press release, December 2006)
Parenting Magazine's MomConnection ® Survey Results Show Disconnect Between Vaccination Rates and CDC Recommendations
Listen to mp3 audio of press release.
GAITHERSBURG, MD, December 13, 2006—According to new survey results released today, nearly all mothers (94 percent) are concerned that their children may contract the flu, and most (84 percent) worry about serious complications from it. However, despite these concerns, fewer than half (40 percent) of these moms vaccinated their children in the 2005-2006 flu season, despite 57 percent believing that their children should receive a vaccination. The survey was conducted among 1,200 mothers of children aged one to 12 years by Parenting magazine's online network, MomConnection®.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that all children aged 6 months to 59 months be vaccinated, as well as the healthy household contacts of this population at high risk for complications. But, according to this survey:
- Only 29 percent of moms with kids less than one year old vaccinated their children
- 55 percent of moms with children aged 12 to 23 months vaccinated them
- 63 percent of mothers of children aged two to three years vaccinated them
- 46 percent of moms with children aged three to five years vaccinated them
Reasons moms mentioned for not vaccinating their children included:
- Because their physicians did not recommend it
- They believe that a healthy child did not need to be vaccinated
- They do not believe that vaccination prevents the flu
Julie Moise, a Kansas City mother who in 2003 tragically lost her six-month-old son, Ian, to influenza, offers her perspective: "Some moms don't vaccinate because they are not aware that the flu is a serious illness and can even be deadly." Moise explained that Ian was healthy before the influenza infection but less than 30 hours after first exhibiting symptoms, and despite prompt medical attention, he died.
"Flu vaccination is the single most important step a mother can take to help protect her children—even healthy children—from the flu," said Elizabeth Babusis, M.D., adjunct associate professor, Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development.
"Children are four times more likely to contract the flu than other age groups, in part because they are exposed to other children at school. In addition, kids are the ones who often pass the flu on to family members and others in the community, which means that vaccinating them can significantly decrease the impact of flu in any community," Dr. Babusis added.
Every year, an estimated 17 to 50 million cases of influenza are reported nationwide. It is estimated that influenza causes 70 million lost workdays, 38 million lost school days, some 36,000 deaths, and 200,000 hospitalizations.
Demographic Differences
According to Cheryl Wilbur, director of research and brand development at Parenting magazine, a segment analysis of the data did reveal some demographic differences. For example, 63 percent of mothers with household incomes in excess of $80,000 were most likely to follow a doctor's recommendation to vaccinate. In addition, groups with the highest education and highest income were most likely to approach their physicians about having their children vaccinated.
Most mothers surveyed were knowledgeable about how flu is spread, with 89 percent recognizing that their children can catch the flu by touching contaminated doorknobs, then touching their noses or mouths. Another 64 percent said that a person can catch the flu by standing next to an infected person who coughs.
Survey Methodology
Data were collected online through www.momconnection.com from October 18, 2006 through October 31, 2006. E-mail invitations were sent to 5,800 MomConnection members, with 1,235 (21 percent) responding. The purpose of the survey was to investigate moms' opinions about vaccinating their children. MomConnection is Parenting magazine's nationally representative online market-based panel of moms. MedImmune, Inc. funded the survey.
About Parenting
Parenting, with a guaranteed circulation of 2,150,000 and a readership of over 11 million, is the nation's leading magazine for moms. It provides the emotional support and affirmation they want and the mom-tested information and ideas they can really use. Parenting is the flagship magazine of The Parenting Group, which includes the monthly Babytalk magazine and its siblings Babytalk, First Months, and Babytalk Mom-to-Be. The Parenting Group's other extension include: a sampling operation, First Moments; a website, www.Parenting.com; a custom publishing unit, and MomConnection®, an online research community. Taken together, Parenting Group properties deliver over 20 million consumer touchpoints each month. The Group is a division of Time Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
About MedImmune, Inc.
MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to patients, new medical options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and increased value to shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company is focused on the areas of infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases. With more than 2,500 employees worldwide, MedImmune is headquartered in Maryland. For more information, visit the company's website at www.medimmune.com.
When Homework Doesn't Work (from Mommy Chronicles, August 2006)
The website for the weekly Mommy Chronicles radio show hosted by Stephanie Triplett and Sara Ellington, recently featured results from a MomConnection survey on homework. The findings were also mentioned on-air during the August 2006 back-to-school special.
The National Education Association recommends that kids should have a total of ten minutes per grade level of homework per night. However, in a recent Parenting MomConnection poll, 42% of respondents said that their child gets too much homework and has trouble keeping up with the workload. With too much homework, learning can become a chore, rather than a constructive experience. The September issue of Parenting helps parents determine how much homework is too much and what to do when the homework load becomes unmanageable.
Even If They Don't Improve Our Diet, Nutrition Labels Make Good Reading (AdWeek magazine, July 2006)
Data collected through a MomConnection survey was cited in this article about nutrition labels and attitudes towards particular ingredients.
Eager to give their kids healthy foods, mothers would seem to be a likely target audience for organic goods. However, a survey for Parenting magazine's Mom Matters bulletin found 51% of mothers saying they "never" buy organics. The same number said they would buy organic foods more often if prices were lower.
Publishers Mull On-line Networking (MediaWeek Magazine, July 2006)
This article uses MomConnection to exemplify the trend toward publisher-sponsored on-line communities.
Several magazine categories are prime candidates for social networking. Parenting titles offer a wealth of so-called experts (existing mothers) and those clamoring for information (expectant mothers). For example, Time Inc.'s Parenting Group, including Parenting and Baby Talk, developed MomConnection.com in 2003 to let mothers swap tips and seek advice. Until now, the modest site allowed its roughly 6,000 users to post messages and take part in surveys and product tests, but by the end of July, MomConnection.com will allow users to post personal profiles. Then in August, users will be able to post their own photo albums.
While Time Inc. does not earn revenue from the site, the community—comprised of both readers and nonreaders of the Time Inc. parenting titles—has been a valuable resource for market research and editorial content. "Our motivation was to give something to our consumer base that they knew they needed, not to create an alternate revenue stream or to broaden the awareness of our brands," says Cheryl Wilbur, Parenting Group director of research and brand development. "The editors gain information and insight and our business gains by increasing our leverage with the marketing community as the expert on our consumer."
New Moms Can Find Budget Luxuries (The Ledger, July 2006)
This article explores how "real" Moms can take advantage of the same parenting luxuries celebrity Moms flaunt and points to MomConnection as a way to share information with peers.
Connect with Other Moms
Ultimate soccer mom and wife Victoria Beckham (married to English soccer star David Beckham) found herself being asked by actress Katie Holmes for advice on being a mother.
So why not seek solace in other mommies?
Online sites such as MomConnection and Your Baby Today offer mothers the opportunities to ask questions and give each other parenting advice.
Both sites offer advice on everything from changing diapers to feeding habits to dealing with your baby's expected "quiet and fussy" times without stressing to the max.
Rhona Dallison, panel manager of the MomConnection site, said nothing makes a mom feel better than relating to others, a free and nurturing experience.
"Seeking advice and support from other moms is important," she said. "They need to share their experiences, and it's good to hear from other moms that have been there and done that."
