Where do children get vaccinated in the U.S.? Parental experiences, attitudes, and beliefs about place of vaccination with a focus on pharmacies and schools

Objective

To assess parental experiences, attitudes, and beliefs about place of pediatric vaccination in the U.S. with a focus on pharmacies and schools.

Methods

An online, national survey of 2005 U.S. parents ages 18 years and older was conducted during August 17–25, 2023. Topics included 1) places their children 17 years of age and under had ever been vaccinated, 2) places parents feel comfortable taking their child for vaccination, and 3) parental attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to vaccination of their child at a pharmacy or school. If the parent had more than one child, the survey randomly selected a reference child.

Results

The most frequently reported place of pediatric vaccination was a doctor's office (75.8 %), clinic or health center (23.1 %), and hospital (19.1 %). A smaller proportion of parents reported getting their child vaccinated at a pharmacy (15.9 %), health department clinic (9.8 %), or school (6.6 %). Vaccination at a pharmacy was more commonly reported by parents of 12–17-year-olds (22.9 %) vs. 0–4-year-olds (5.7 %) (p-value<0.0001), those living in urban (16.3 %) vs. rural areas (11.1 %) (p-value = 0.0182), and children with private (20.0 %) vs. public (Medicaid/CHIP) health insurance (12.4 %) (p-value<0.0001). Vaccination at a school was more commonly reported by parents of 12–17-year-olds (9.0 %) vs. 0–4-year-olds (3.2 %) (p-value = 0.0002). Among parents who reported getting their child vaccinated at a pharmacy (n = 318), 92.2 % rated their overall satisfaction level ‘very good’ or ‘good.’ Among parents whose children have gotten vaccinated at school (n = 124), 83.9 % reported their overall satisfaction level to be ‘very good’ or ‘good.’

Conclusions

While most children receive their vaccination at a doctor's office, parents who have experience getting their child vaccinated in alternative places of vaccination, such as pharmacies and schools, reported a positive overall satisfaction level. Pharmacy and school vaccination may be acceptable, especially for older children and adolescents.