Information on vaccination: meeting the needs of unvaccinated youngsters in the Netherlands

Abstract

To improve vaccination coverage in the Netherlands, compulsory consultation of the youth health service has been suggested for unvaccinated youngsters. It is assumed that sound medical arguments will convince them to accept vaccination. We assessed the need for information of the highest risk group, the unvaccinated orthodox protestant youngsters. Only 21% of over 600 respondents were interested in medical aspects of vaccination, whereas >50% were interested in religious aspects. Their preferred information source was a Christian organization, not the youth health service. Our study shows the importance of exploration of the target group before introducing a new policy.