The link between interest in alternative medicine and vaccination coverage
Type de matériel :
15
Numerous qualitative studies and a few quantitative studies have linked vaccine hesitancy or refusal with the belief in the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Yet, large-scale data on this topic are scarce. In this study, we investigated the factors associated with the coverage rates of seven childhood vaccines or vaccine groups in the ninety-six metropolitan French departments. One of the factors investigated is the local interest in CAM. In order to assess this interest, we built an Alternative Medicine Index based on departmental internet searches regarding CAM—internet searches being a reliable indicator of the public’s actual interest in a given topic. We then conducted multiple regression analyses, which showed that this Index is a significant explanatory factor for the departmental variance in vaccination coverage rates, exceeding in importance the effect of other relevant territorial sociodemographic factors
Réseaux sociaux