Annotated Bibliography

This page contains selected relevant sources I encountered while researching for my senior project. To see the full list of works, check out my final paper under the “Senior Project” tab. I also have a list of relevant public health works that I encountered during my studies but were not directly relevant to my senior project available under the “Additional Resources & Info” tab.

 

Gust D.A., Darling, N., Kennedy, A., Schwartz, B. (2008). Parents with doubts about vaccines: Which vaccines and reasons why. Pediatrics. 122(4):718-725. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0538

Gust et al. outline the demographics of parents with disease hesitancy and note that the varicella vaccine is the one most likely to cause doubts. They also note that information from a health care provider seems to be the biggest reason that parents cite for why they ultimately changed their minds in favor of vaccines. While brief, the article helpfully lays out demographics that I can further explore in my research and also mentions possibilities for combating vaccine hesitancy.

 

Jarrett, C., Wilson, R., O’Leary, M., Eckersberger, E., Larson, H.J. (2015). Strategies for addressing vaccine hesitancy – A systematic review. Vaccine. 33(34):4180-4190. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.040

This paper gives a nice overview of different approaches for combatting vaccine hesitancy. The literature review they performed showed that most strategies focus on awareness and knowledge, and they found that the most effective efforts included promoting dialogue. This paper will be helpful for thinking about how to use the results of my model to push for change that will most positively impact society.

 

Kennedy, A., LaVail, K., Nowak, G., Basket, M., Landry, S. (2011). Confidence about vaccines in the united states: understanding parents’ perceptions. Health Affairs. 30(6):1151-1159. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0396

Kennedy et al. found that most parents have at least some questions or concerns about vaccines, even if their children were completely up to date on vaccines. They came up with several methods of promoting dialogue and giving information to parents. Like Jarrett et al., this will be helpful for thinking about how to apply my own results to the wider discussion of vaccine hesitancy.

 

MacDonald, N.E. (2015). Vaccine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants. Vaccine. 33(34):4161:4164. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.036

This paper is a good introduction to the idea of vaccine hesitancy. The definition of vaccine hesitancy was coined by the SAGE Working Group from the WHO and encompasses the wide range of opinions and circumstances that makes someone vaccine hesitant. It is a good starting place for learning about why people are vaccine hesitant.

 

Maltezou, H.C., Ledda, C., Rapisarda, V. (2019) Mandatory vaccinations for children in Italy: The need for a stable frame. Vaccine; Kidlington. 37(32):4419-4420. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.stolaf.edu/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.05.095

This article dives into how vaccine laws have been successful (or not) in France and Italy. Maltezou et al. explore the history of vaccine hesitancy and discuss how the number of mandatory vaccines being raised from 3 to 7 has impacted Italy’s vaccination rates. Though my project will focus on the U.S., it is helpful to see how other countries have responded to potential solutions to the vaccine crisis.

 

Offit, P. A. Deadly Choices: How the anti-vaccine movement threatens us all. Basic Books; 2011.

This book was instrumental in understanding the history of vaccine hesitancy and refusal, both in the United States but also placed in a wider discussion about doubts throughout the world. It goes over key moments like Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, the Omnibus Autism Proceeding, and more. It was very helpful in understanding the background for my research.

 

Omer, S.B., Pan, W.K.Y., Halsey, N.A., et al. (2006). Nonmedical exemptions to school immunization requirements: secular trends and association of state policies with pertussis incidence. JAMA, 296(14):1757-1763. doi:10.1001/jama.296.14.1757

Omer et al. examine how different policies about exemptions are associated with exemption rates. They explore medical, religious, and personal belief exemptions to see if rates differ based on the types offered. This article is helpful not only for learning about the types of exemptions, but also because they thoroughly detail their statistical methods. It will be helpful to look back and see how they handled their data as I move forward with my research.

 

Stern, A.M., & Markel, H. (2005). The history of vaccines and immunization: familiar patterns, new challenges. Health Affairs, 24(3), 611-621. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.24.3.611

Stern & Markel’s article is very helpful for learning a brief history of vaccine hesitancy. Although not as in depth on certain topics as Offit’s book, it is a good starting point for learning about the struggles of manufacturing vaccines and assuaging fears. It also applies historical events and opinions to the modern day vaccine campaigns, which is a nice bridge between the more history-focused works and the more modern works.