Program
Physician Assistant M.S.
Year Approved
2018
First Advisor
Boeve, Wallace
Abstract
The incidence of vaccine preventable illnesses is increasing in the United States. Negative attitudes towards vaccinations, or vaccine hesitancy is fueling the decreasing vaccination rates. Ascertaining the level of vaccine hesitancy in susceptible populations is essential in combatting the rise of vaccine preventable illnesses in the United States. Very little research has previously been compiled on vaccine attitudes in Slavic immigrants. Slavic immigrants identify racially as “white” on surveys, masking differences in the Slavic population from the much larger Caucasian population in the United States. In order to better understand the level of vaccine hesitancy in the Minnesota Slavic immigrant population, the researchers dispensed the Parental Attitudes on Childhood Vaccinations (PACV) survey at a Ukrainian church. The PACV has been validated to accurately measure vaccine hesitancy. Participants that indicated on the survey that they were born in a Slavic country were included in the final data collection. Surveys revealed a high level of vaccine hesitancy in the Minnesota Slavic immigrant population. The average PACV score of the Minnesota Slavic immigrants was compared to the average PACV score of the populations of three other research studies that had also used the PACV survey. The Minnesota Slavic immigrant population reported a significantly higher level of vaccine hesitancy than any of the three other populations that had taken the PACV survey.
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Physician Assistant
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Kozak, M., Roy, H. M., & Van Heest, R. (2018). Attitudes Towards Vaccinations in the Minnesota Slavic Community [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/364
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