Pertussis, or whooping cough, can be deadly for infants, and most contract the infection from unvaccinated caregivers. In a new study from Vaccine, researchers tested a number of strategies to incentivize caregivers of at-risk infants to get vaccinated and found that, even when provided with vouchers for free booster shots, they were reluctant to get them: Of 95 adult caregivers enrolled in the study, only one redeemed a retail pharmacy voucher.
"This finding was surprising and disappointing given that the full cost vouchers eliminated any financial barriers to vaccination," Alison Buttenheim, PhD, a researcher from Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, said in a statement. "Our subsequent follow up interviews suggested that, even with the voucher, there were other significant barriers that prevented vaccination."
These barriers included concerns about how conveniently located pharmacies were located and misconceptions about the severity of whooping cough. In addition to the ineffective vouchers, celebrity video promotion did nothing to increase the rate at which caregivers received vaccinations.
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