Tavoschi, L., Quattrone, F., De Vita, E., & Lopalco, P. L. (2019). Impact of mandatory law on vaccine hesitancy spectrum: The case of measles vaccine catch-up activities in Tuscany, Italy. Vaccine, 37, 7201-7202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.09.092 [Childhood Vaccination NPM]
Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Policy/Guideline (State),
Intervention Description: The intervention described in the document is the implementation of a mandatory immunization program in Italy in July 2017. This program mandated ten vaccinations for children up to 16 years old, including vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. The policy was adopted as part of the national response to a large outbreak of measles and aimed to address the decline in vaccine coverage (VC) that had occurred in previous years. The mandatory law required school-aged children to have completed the vaccination cycles in order to attend educational services, leading to an immediate impact on vaccine coverage. Additionally, catch-up activities were carried out to identify and offer mandatory vaccinations to unvaccinated or partly vaccinated children. These activities were monitored through the regional immunization information system (rIIS) and other indicators to assess their impact.
Intervention Results: The results reported in the document include the following key findings: 1. Impact on Vaccine Coverage: The mandatory law had an immediate impact on vaccine coverage, leading to an increase in measles vaccine coverage at 24 months of age to 91.81% in 2017 and 93.22% in 2018, with a total increase of 5.96% compared to the previous year. This increase was observed at both regional and national levels. 2. Catch-up Activities: Catch-up activities resulted in a substantial increase in measles vaccine coverage for the 2014 and 2015 birth cohorts, with a respective increase of +5.65% and +1.75% registered in Tuscany. As a result, one-dose measles vaccine coverage exceeded the World Health Organization target of 95% for these birth cohorts. 3. Identification of Unvaccinated/Partly Vaccinated Children: In Tuscany, systematic scrutiny of the rIIS led to the identification of 1528 unvaccinated/partly vaccinated children, representing 6.6% of the 2016 birth cohort in the region. Information on the reasons for incomplete vaccination status was available for 1503 of these children. 4. Reasons for Incomplete Vaccination: The document provides information on the reasons for incomplete vaccination status, including
Conclusion: In our opinion, mandates did not only affect hesitant parents, but forced local health services to allocate more resources to immunisation activities and to be more effective as a whole.
Study Design: The study design in the provided document appears to be an observational study that assesses the impact of the 2017 mandatory immunization program on various outcomes related to vaccination in the Tuscany region of Italy. The study utilizes data from the regional immunization information system (rIIS) and other sources to evaluate changes in vaccine coverage, organization of immunization services, catch-up activities, and reasons for delaying or refusing immunization. The study also discusses the impact of the mandatory law on vaccine hesitancy and public health services. The document does not explicitly state the study design, but based on the information provided, it aligns with an observational study.
Setting: The setting of the study is Tuscany, a region of central Italy with approximately 3.7 million inhabitants, corresponding to 6.2% of the national population. The study focuses on the impact of the 2017 mandatory immunization program on a broader spectrum of relevant outcomes, such as vaccine coverage, organization of immunization service and catch-up activities, regional immunization information system (rIIS) data quality, and reasons for delaying/refusing immunization in Tuscany. ,[object Object],
Population of Focus: The target audience of this PDF file is likely to be healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers interested in the impact of mandatory vaccination policies on vaccine coverage and vaccine hesitancy. It may also be of interest to the general public who are concerned about vaccination and public health policies.
Sample Size: The sample size mentioned in the document refers to the number of unvaccinated or partly vaccinated children identified through the regional immunization information system (rIIS) in Tuscany. Specifically, the document states that 1528 unvaccinated/partly vaccinated children were identified, representing 6.6% of 23,321 children in the 2016 birth cohort in the region. Additionally, information on the reasons for incomplete vaccination status was available for 1503 (98.4%) of these children. ,[object Object],
Age Range: The age range mentioned in the document is up to 16 years old, as this is the age range for which the Italian government mandated ten vaccinations in July 2017. The mandatory vaccinations were for children up to 16 years old, including vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. ,[object Object],
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