Calling the shots : why parents reject vaccines / Jennifer A. Reich.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : New York University Press, 2016Description: 315 pages : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781479812790 (hbk : alk. paper)
- 147981279X (hbk : alk. paper)
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 614.4708 R347 | Available | 33111008455657 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Winner, 2018 Donald W. Light Award for Applied Medical Sociology, American Sociological Association Medical Sociology Section
Winner, 2018 Distinguished Scholarship Award presented by the Pacific Sociology Association
Honorable Mention, 2017 ESS Mirra Komarovsky Book Award presented by the Eastern Sociological Society
Outstanding Book Award for the Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity presented by the American Sociological Association
A rich, multi-faceted examination into the attitudes and beliefs of parents who choose not to immunize their children
The measles outbreak at Disneyland in December 2014 spread to a half-dozen U.S. states and sickened 147 people. It is just one recent incident that the medical community blames on the nation's falling vaccination rates. Still, many parents continue to claim that the risks that vaccines pose to their children are far greater than their benefits. Given the research and the unanimity of opinion within the medical community, many ask how such parents--who are most likely to be white, college educated, and with a family income over $75,000--could hold such beliefs.
For over a decade, Jennifer Reich has been studying the phenomenon of vaccine refusal from the perspectives of parents who distrust vaccines and the corporations that make them, as well as the health care providers and policy makers who see them as essential to ensuring community health. Reich reveals how parents who opt out of vaccinations see their decision: what they fear, what they hope to control, and what they believe is in their child's best interest. Based on interviews with parents who fully reject vaccines as well as those who believe in "slow vax," or altering the number of and time between vaccinations, the author provides a fascinating account of these parents' points of view.
Placing these stories in dialogue with those of pediatricians who see the devastation that can be caused by vaccine-preventable diseases and the policy makers who aim to create healthy communities, Calling the Shots offers a unique opportunity to understand the points of disagreement on what is best for children, communities, and public health, and the ways in which we can bridge these differences.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-306) and index.
The public history of vaccines -- Parents as experts -- Vaccines as unnatural intervention -- The limits of trust in big pharma -- Who calls the shots? -- The slow vax movement -- Finding natural solutions -- Vaccine liberty.
The headline-grabbing 2014 measles outbreak at Disneyland was just the latest reminder of our nation's falling vaccination rates. What was less evident, however, was that this event was only one example of a larger story of an increasing number of parents who are refusing vaccines, believing vaccines pose greater risks than benefits to their children. Given the certainty of the medical community that vaccines are safe and effective, many wonder how such parents, who are most likely to be white, have high levels of education, and have the greatest access to healthcare services and resources, could hold such beliefs? For more than a decade, sociologist Jennifer A. Reich has been following the issue of vaccine refusal - from the perspectives of the parents who distrust vaccines and the corporations that make them to those of the healthcare providers and policy makers who see them as essential to ensuring community health. Rather than arguing one view, Reich carefully examines how parents who opt out of vaccinations see their decision: what they fear, what they hope to control, and what they believe is in their child's best interest. In describing parents' fears of Big Pharma, autism, or potential unknown side effects, and efforts to negotiate with physicians for alternative vaccination schedules or to promote "natural immunity," Reich provides a fascinating and empathetic portrait of the parents who are concerned. On the other hand, she presents the pediatricians who see the devastation vaccine-preventable diseases can cause, and the policy makers who aim to protect children and families. Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations, this book compellingly examines the intersections between state power and families, perceptions of risk and necessity, trust in regulation and pharmaceutical safety, the relationship between doctors and patients, and how gender and privilege shape family life. Calling the Shots addresses central questions of individual rights and community responsibility and offers a unique opportunity to understand the points of disagreement on what is best for children, communities, and public health so we may bridge these differences. -- from dust jacket.