New School Vaccine Research Reveals Effective Messaging Approaches for Parents and Caregivers

(PORTLAND, Ore.) Jan. 28, 2025 – Alliance for a Healthier Generation today shared national market research on the communication preferences of parents and caregivers around vaccines required for school attendance. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, childhood vaccination rates have fallen significantly. The results of this research point to the important role schools, particularly school nurses, play in health communication, and the opportunities for public health organizations, practitioners, and school leaders to encourage uptake of routine vaccines, critical for preventing outbreaks of diseases like measles and whooping cough. 

In fall 2024, Healthier Generation conducted an online survey of 767 parents and caregivers of school-age children. In addition to answering questions about vaccine mandates and trusted sources of medical advice, participants provided feedback on sample communications from a principal, school nurse, and parent-teacher association (PTA) president.  

Key findings include: 

• Doctors are by far the most trusted source of advice when it comes to making health care decisions like vaccines. Over 80% of parents and caregivers cited family doctors or pediatricians as a trusted source. This high level of trust did not vary significantly across regions and racial/ethnic groups and is consistent with the findings of similar research. 
• By a margin of 7 to 1, parents and caregivers agreed that there are vaccines that should be necessary for school entry. This result was also consistent across geographic regions and racial/ethnic groups.
• Within the school system, communications from a school nurse are more highly trusted about healthcare options like vaccines than communications from a principal or other staff member.
• When asked to compare sample vaccine-related messages, 44% of respondents preferred a Q&A from school nurse, 34% chose a reminder from a school principal, and 22% selected an appeal from the PTA president. 
• In school communications related to vaccines, parents and caregivers appreciate brevity, a respectful tone, and an information-sharing approach.  

“Staying up to date on routine vaccinations is critical to lifelong health,” says Dr. Kyle MacDonald, Chief Science Officer at Healthier Generation. “This research shows that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to communicating about vaccines required for school attendance. We recommend that schools share communications from various messengers, particularly school nurses, to help families make informed decisions to vaccinate.”   

This research was supported by Merck. Read the full summary and access no-cost resources around childhood vaccines for schools and families at HealthierGeneration.org/vaccines.  

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About Alliance for a Healthier Generation 
Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a leading children's health organization that advances equitable whole child health. Driven by our passion to ensure that every mind, every body, and every young person is healthy and ready to succeed, our work has reached over 31 million young people and 56,000 schools, districts, and out-of-school time sites across the country. To learn more and help make a difference, visit HealthierGeneration.org and join us on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.