THERE are two main contributors to under-vaccination: "acceptance and access" factors, according to an Insight article in the latest MJA.
The contribution of each factor varies between high, middle and low income countries and between different populations or cultural groups, the authors wrote.
It has long been argued by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia that more ready access to vaccination via the broadening of pharmacy delivered programs, is one solution to enhance vaccination access.
Paediatric clinician researcher Dr Margie Danchin and post-doctoral researcher Jessica Kaufman wrote, "Incomplete vaccination has been shown to be associated with many logistical factors, including family size, low parental education and missed opportunities or unnecessary delays in vaccine delivery.
"Despite relatively high vaccine coverage rates at present in Australia, with between 90.75% to 94.67% of one, two and five-year-olds fully vaccinated, low coverage pockets still exist in every state in Australia and at both ends of the socio-economic spectrum."
Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the University of Melbourne, working with Universities of Sydney and Newcastle are developing the first comprehensive and interlinked model of parental acceptance and access barriers to childhood vaccination.
The tool, named the Vaccine Barriers Assessment Tool or VBAT, will consist of a short and a long form - see insightplus.mja.com.au.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 26 Feb 19
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