The Delicate Situation of Childhood Vaccination: on the Dispreferredness of Soliciting Parents' Intent to Vaccinate
Sponsor
This study is part of a research project which has received funding from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).
Published In
Health Communication
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
8-19-2024
Abstract
In the Netherlands, parents of newborns typically participate in two-, four-, and eight-week medical consultations to monitor their children’s development and discuss vaccinations, which will not be administered before eight weeks. During these visits, healthcare professionals routinely ask parents if they intend to vaccinate their children (i.e. to participate in the National Immunization Program). Using Conversation Analysis, we examine 62 videotaped consultations and present two lines of evidence to argue that the sequence initiated by professionals wherein they solicit parents’ intent to vaccinate is dispreferred. First, this action is routinely deferred by preliminary sequences. Second, when professionals eventually initiate this action (i.e. if it is not preempted by parents during pre-sequences), they orient to its dispreferred status, for example by highlighting benefactive details of vaccination. We discuss the possible existence of asymmetrical (initiator-sided) pre-sequences, why soliciting parents’ vaccination intent might be dispreferred, and implications for the design of communication interventions.
Rights
Copyright © 2024Informa UK Limited
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1080/10410236.2024.2387387
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42519
Citation Details
Prettner, R., te Molder, H., & Robinson, J. D. (2024). The Delicate Situation of Childhood Vaccination: On the Dispreferredness of Soliciting Parents’ Intent to Vaccinate. Health Communication, 1–19.