Check out 2023’s States that Vaccinate Most

With vaccines preventing 4 to 5 million deaths worldwide per year according to the WHO, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s States that Vaccinate the Most, as well as expert commentary.

In order to find out which states vaccinate most, WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 key metrics, ranging from the share of vaccinated children to the share of people without health insurance to the flu vaccination rate among adults.

Vaccination in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

  • 19th – Influenza Vaccination Rate in Children Aged 6 Months to 17 Years Old
  • 10th – Share of Teenagers Aged 13-17 with Up-To-Date HPV Vaccination
  • 39th – Share of Teenagers Aged 13-17 with Men ACWY Vaccination
  • 48th – Flu Vaccination Coverage Rate Among Adults
  • 12th – Share of Adults with Tetanus Vaccination
  • 21st – Share of Adults Aged 60 and Older with Zoster Vaccination
  • 51st – Share of Children 19-35 Months old Living in Poverty with Combined 7-Vaccine Series
  • 22nd – Share of Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population without Health Insurance Coverage
  • 28th – Share of Children Under 6 Years Old Participating in an Immunization Information System

Overall rank for California: 27th

Expert Commentary

What are the steps local authorities can take in order to counter the current anti-vaccination trend?

“Vaccine uptake is a complicated matter without a universal solution, but positive change is possible by empathetically focusing on a particular audience. Take time to develop a deep understanding of your audience’s needs, wants, and barriers to inform your strategy. For example, a campaign focused on convincing an audience of the safety and efficacy of a vaccine may have little result if the true barrier is a lack of public transit to a vaccination site or a concern about providing personal identification. A popular patient advocacy slogan is ‘Nothing about us without us.’ This motto should apply to the design of any product, service, or communication strategy. One should never assume an understanding of the problem at hand in the absence of deep engagement with the targeted community. To do otherwise is arrogant and often results in wasted resources.”
— Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel – Assistant Provost, Associate Professor and Program Director, Thomas Jefferson University

“An important part of countering a loss of vaccine confidence in a community is for local authorities, public health officials, and health care providers to establish connections within a community. A strong, unequivocal recommendation from a physician to get vaccinated is one of the strongest predictors of whether an individual gets vaccinated. Physicians who regularly engage with the community outside of the clinic are more likely to have these opportunities to discuss vaccines.”
— Abram L. Wagner, Ph.D., MPH – Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

What role does the media play in educating the public when it comes to vaccination hesitancy?

“In the U.S., media plays a tremendous role in shaping the culture and behaviors of our society. One way to frame the media’s role is in the context of cognitive bias theories such as negativity bias. The human brain tends to place greater weight on a negative experience and overlook what may be a dominance of positives. Put simply, we need to experience many positives to counteract a negative. While this bias may have evolved to help protect us from harm, it is also something media outlets leverage to get our attention and elicit a strong emotional response. While one negative result from medical treatment may be sensational and garner attention, responsible reporting should dictate contextualizing an incident with statistics and multiple expert opinions.”
— Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel – Assistant Provost, Associate Professor and Program Director, Thomas Jefferson University

“Media can provide information about outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and provide visuals and information about what these diseases are. With many vaccines being on the market and used for decades, the incidence of the target diseases has decreased rapidly. Until the diseases are eradicated worldwide, vaccination remains necessary, and the media can help educate people on these diseases, which in past generations were regrettably so common.”
Abram L. Wagner, Ph.D., MPH – Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

Is the introduction of a ‘No jab, No school’ policy that requires mandatory vaccination at school entry necessary in the U.S.?

“Most jurisdictions in the US have some sort of mandate in place for children to be vaccinated before school or daycare entry. The effectiveness of these programs could be bolstered by increasing the convenience of vaccines – like having clinics at schools or expanding vaccines available in local pharmacies.”
— Abram L. Wagner, Ph.D., MPH – Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

 

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-that-vaccinate-the-most/66237

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Sources

  • Vaccination: Pixabay