ERIC Number: EJ1471523
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: EISSN-1746-1561
Available Date: 2025-03-23
Stakeholder Perceptions of the School Vaccination Program in Special Schools for Adolescents with Intellectual and Developmental Disability
Dana Zaina1; Zahra Aemehdoust2; Christiane Klinner1; Alexandra Young1; Iva Strnadová3,4; Horas Wong5,6; Christy E. Newman6; Cristyn Davies7,8; S. Rachel Skinner7; Margie Danchin9,10; Rebecca Guy1; Allison Carter1,11,12
Journal of School Health, v95 n6 p379-388 2025
Background: Adolescents with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) are reported to have lower uptake of routine vaccines than their peers. Little research has explored stakeholders' perceptions and support of school-based vaccinations for this population in NSW, Australia. Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with four stakeholder groups involved in the vaccination program in special education schools in New South Wales, Australia: students with IDD, parents, education staff, and health professionals. Results: Stakeholders mostly supported vaccinating adolescents with IDD in school settings. Students valued the familiar environment and emotional support from teachers. Parents appreciated the convenience and accessibility of the program. Education staff regarded vaccinations as vital for student health and mostly supported school-based delivery but faced practical and ethical challenges, such as insufficient resourcing, confusion around holding students for safety and emotional support, and concerns about losing students' trust in the school as a safe environment if vaccination was experienced as traumatic. Health staff identified a need for better prevaccination communication with families and schools to improve vaccine uptake and student preparation. Conclusion: Findings highlight a need for increased support for special schools that act as key program facilitators between those who deliver and those who receive this vital health service.
Descriptors: Special Schools, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disabilities, Immunization Programs, Stakeholders, Special Education, Students with Disabilities, Parent Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, School Health Services, Ethics, Barriers, Trust (Psychology), Parent School Relationship, Trauma, Health Personnel, Foreign Countries
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 2Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran; 3School of Education, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 4Disability Innovation Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 5Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 6Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 7Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 8Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 9Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; 10Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 11Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 12Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada