Back in the day, vaccinating your kids for polio, smallpox and measles was routine and never in doubt. The slight inconvenience of a crying son or daughter getting pricked meant an investment in their health.
But today, vaccinations have become clouded in uncertainty and many parents are confused on what to do and whom to trust. That’s why USF’s College of Public Health (COPH) launched a new project called Vaccine Shared Decision Making – VaxSmart, for short − to improve communication between parents and health care providers.
The project’s creators hope it will empower people with the facts, promote discussion on the risks and benefits of various vaccines and explain why they’re needed, said Dr. Claudia Parvanta, professor, Department of Health Policy & Systems Management.
“Young American parents think differently about vaccines than their parents and grandparents do,’’ she said. “Unless they lived in another country with fewer resources than the United States, they grew up free of debilitating infectious disease.
“So, for these young parents, the 'risk-benefit' equation seems off, and they have every right to ask why their child needs so many vaccines against diseases they either haven't seen in their lifetime or think aren’t that worrisome.’’
Dr. Claudia Parvanta, professor, Department of Health Policy & Systems Management (photo courtesy of Parvanta)
Full immunization rates for two-year-olds are now in the 70-to-75 percent range, much lower than what’s required to prevent spread of disease to those who can’t receive a vaccine due to their medical condition, according to Flhealthcharts.gov. About 280,000 kindergarteners in the U.S. lack documentation for measles, mumps and rubella, leaving communities more vulnerable to preventable illnesses.
Chandler McKnight, a 24-year-old master of public health student with concurrent concentrations in epidemiology and infection control, said childhood immunizations are her primary interest. She will work with VaxSmart teams to create evidence-based, transparent and comprehensible resources for Florida families.
“When I first learned about the modern origins of vaccine hesitancy, I was appalled by how rapidly misinformation can spread and create mistrust toward one of the greatest public health achievements,’’ McKnight said. “Over the next decade, I hope this initiative will help quiet the noisy atmosphere surrounding immunization misinformation and strengthen vaccine confidence throughout Florida.’’
Chandler McKnight, MPH student. (Photo courtesy of McKnight)
Essentially about health literacy, the project involves shared clinical decisions, in which parents learn how vaccines work and evaluate their benefits, potential harms and likelihood of such harms happening. This helps parents with a limited understanding of medical concepts and numbers and takes into account cultural beliefs and misinformation. The project also supports the providers, as many lack the time to fully explain the pros and cons of vaccinations. Still, people with children depend on their expertise.
“About half of parents just want this information from their provider and then they will feel they’re making the right decision to immunize their child,’’ Parvanta said about the importance of informed health care providers.
Adding to the health literacy challenge, parents may be aware that federal and Florida state policies differ in their guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and possibly their own pediatricians, leaving them in the wake of confusion.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reports that vaccine controversy and hesitancy on the national level are driven by a mix of social media misinformation, waning institutional trust following the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicting statements from public authorities.
“As vaccination against measles continues to wane, the U.S. has hit a troubling milestone: 2026 has already seen the most confirmed cases of the disease since it was declared eliminated in 2000,’’ Harvard officials state. “Experts predict the tally will only continue to rise as more people question and refuse the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or have a harder time getting it.’’
The VaxSMART team tabled at Glazer Children's Museum's Birthday Bash and conducted 20 interviews with families on the importance of childhood vaccination. (Photo courtesy of Parvanta)
Parvanta said there’s a deliberate manipulation of the public as well as misinformation being spread in the name of “medical freedom”: “Tobacco companies launched campaigns (in the 1980s) about ‘smokers' rights’ and that smoking in public was the right of every red-blooded American. Let’s just say some political leaders as well as social media influencers are following that playbook.’’
A premise of VaxSmart is to reverse this trend, and the plan includes a robust social marketing approach:
- Co-create, test, produce and disseminate Florida-oriented vaccine counseling materials
- Create a tracking dashboard to monitor vaccine uptake
- Initiate social media outreach to motivate and prepare parents for VaxSmart
The project also will gather information about what health care officials and parents believe is working and compare those two perspectives to create a stronger, tailored message about vaccinations.
The project includes Dr. Patricia Emmanuel, chair emeritus, pediatrics in the Morsani College of Medicine; Dr. Sten Vermund, dean, COPH; Dr. Jason Salemi, chair, epidemiology; and faculty from across the college and university who are contributing their expertise to the initiative. A VaxSmart advisory board consists of leading obstetric and pediatric healthcare providers in southwest Florida, with plans to expand statewide.