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Sociodemographic predictors of measles immunization exemption: Washington state, 2013-2018

Liu, Xinying (2019) Sociodemographic predictors of measles immunization exemption: Washington state, 2013-2018. Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.

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Abstract

Background: Measles immunization is one of the school-entry requirements in Washington State, but parents can exempt their children from immunization based on religious, personal- belief and medical reasons. Vaccine hesitancy is a growing issue in the United States. In the 2019 Washington measles outbreak, most cases were unvaccinated children.
Methods: We used 2013-2018 measles immunization exemption data from the Washington Department of Public Health to examine the change over time. We used spatial lag regression models to analyze the relationship between economical, race, education and population predictors and school districts-level measles exemption rates.
Results: The percentage of students with measles exemption increased to 4.10% in school year 2017-2018. In the spatial lag regression model, measles exemption rate increased with 2.94% for each 10000 USD increase in median household income ( 95%CI: 1.96%-3.41% ).
Conclusions: Measles exemptions for students in Washington are more common in areas with a higher income.
Public Health Relevance: The 2019 Washington measles outbreak brought concerns to measles vaccination exemptions. In recent years, the proportion of exemptions based on religious and personal belief is rising. But recent data and Washington data were little covered for research. We analyzed exemption data to help future immunization work.


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Details

Item Type: Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper (Master Essay)
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Liu, Xinyingxil191@pitt.edu
Contributors:
ContributionContributors NameEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Committee Chairvan Panhuis, WilbertUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Committee MemberKrafty, RobertUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Committee MemberTalbott, EvelynUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Date: 26 April 2019
Date Type: Submission
Number of Pages: 30
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: School of Public Health > Epidemiology
Degree: MPH - Master of Public Health
Thesis Type: Master Essay
Refereed: Yes
Date Deposited: 14 Oct 2019 18:16
Last Modified: 14 Oct 2019 18:16
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/36631

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