What do parents think about vaccination? A qualitative study

Context. With the natural history of infectious diseases and the upsurge of formerly rare diseases, vaccination is of crucial matter. Numerous qualitative and quantitative studies, most often concerning one vaccine, have described the factors determining a parent's decision to vaccinate their children without really understanding what motivated their decision. This study aims to understand the "social representations" of the parents and how they influence the decision to vaccinate their children. Method. Qualitative study by semi-structured interviews with in-depth questioning of 10 volunteers from Sete, in southern France. A phenomenological and pragmatic analysis of the fully transcribed verbatim was used to reveal significant categories and the factors influencing the decision to vaccinate. Results. The principle of "inter-individual inequality with regards disease and vaccine" make vaccination a responsible educative choice resulting in the critical use of information sources and strategies applied to a general population. Confidence in one's GP and in previous experience, either personal or of close individuals, remain decisive elements in the reasoned selection of vaccines, based on the consideration of benefits versus risks. Discussion. This study allowed a better understanding of a parent's attitude towards vaccination. The phenomenological and pragmatic method proposed has enlightened new categories which are useful for both individual and collective strategies.