Chisnall, Georgia;
Letley, Louise;
Mounier-Jack, Sandra;
Bedford, Helen;
Chantler, Tracey;
(2025)
Parents' experiences of accessing childhood vaccination services in England: A qualitative longitudinal cohort study.
Vaccine
, 52
, Article 126921. 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126921.
Preview |
Text
Bedford_1-s2.0-S0264410X2500218X-main.pdf Download (667kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Background: In England, declining childhood vaccine uptake and related inequalities are causes for concern. Existing evidence suggests challenges accessing services contribute to this decline. This is particularly true for parents facing socioeconomic disadvantage. This study aimed to explore parents' experiences of the vaccination process to generate recommendations for improving the accessibility of childhood vaccination services. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was established in May 2023. Sequential interviews were conducted with 22 parents from the birth of their child as they progressed through the vaccination pathway. Data collection comprised life journey interviews and diary keeping. Data were analysed using temporal thematic analysis. Results: Four vaccination trajectories were observed collectively referred to as the 4S Vaccination Trajectory Framework: supported (n = 9), struggled (n = 10), stalled (n = 2), and shunned (n = 1). Three main temporal themes were identified which accounted for the diverging vaccination trajectories: booking systems, the unexpected (e.g., how General Practices managed parents who were late or missed their appointment), and vaccine information provision. For example, many within the ‘struggled’ trajectory, initiated contact with their General Practice and had considerable difficulty securing appointments due to inflexible booking systems. Conclusions: To address declining vaccination coverage within England it is vital that vaccine accessibility is improved and that services meet parents' needs. This study deepens our understanding of accessibility issues with the vaccination service and discusses implications for policy and practice.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Parents' experiences of accessing childhood vaccination services in England: A qualitative longitudinal cohort study |
| Location: | Netherlands |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126921 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126921 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Immunology, Medicine, Research & Experimental, Research & Experimental Medicine, Vaccines, Health services accessibility, Delivery of health care, Qualitative research, IMMUNIZATION UPTAKE, PERCEPTIONS, COMMUNITY, MEASLES, VIEWS |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10211559 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
