Of course, parents should worry about their kids’ health. Of course, they should ponder carefully about what goes into their bodies. More fruit, less Froot Loops, amirite?
And when it comes to figuring out what’s right and what’s wrong for parents to do, it's not always as straightforward as it should be.
That’s according to a report out of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. They conducted a survey of almost 2,000 parents regarding flu shots, and the answers were eye-opening.
It's the other third of parents, the ones who say they won't be giving their kids flu shots, that is troubling. And it comes down to the concerning way they made their decision.
About 40% of the parents in the poll said they based their decision on what they read or heard, not their doctors. The parents who didn’t want to vaccinate their kids also reported seven times more negative sources about the vaccine than positive.
That’s a huge difference, and you just know that some of that negative info must have been faulty or outright lies, like saying the vaccine causes the flu. (It really doesn’t.)
As the poll notes, it all creates an echo chamber that reinforces the parents’ doubts about the flu vaccine, and that puts their kids at risk.
Would you ask the other soccer moms if you should have your appendix out or if that pain in your abdomen is nothing worth worrying about?
During the 2017-2018 flu season, 180 kids died from the flu, a season in which less than 60% of kids received the vaccine. And it’s not just the flu itself, but complications it can cause that can be troublesome too.
The CDC estimates that, in the 2016-17 flu season, the vaccine helped more than five million Americans avoid illness, and at least 26,000 hospitalizations.
Even the kids who are afraid of needles can benefit — a few tears are still much preferable to getting the flu, which can lead to a whole host of serious problems, and it's a great excuse to go for ice cream afterwards.
A full one-fifth of parents didn’t recall their child’s doctor even giving a recommendation of any kind about the flu vaccine.
It's hard to say whether they just didn't remember getting that advice, or if they actually didn't get it, but it's definitely challenging to make a responsible medical decision without a doctor's opinion.
Anybody can have an opinion, but not necessarily an informed opinion. Doesn't it seem more than a little silly to cut doctors out of an important medical decision and instead go with what your mommy group says?
Honestly, we should all watch out for the echo chamber of voices ganging up to reinforce baseless fears and doubts built on misinformation.
