You’ve heard it before: “Don’t believe everything you read.”
This is critical advice for parents who surf the Internet looking for answers about vaccines.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, analyzed about 500 anti-vaccination websites and found that a majority publish misinformation and faulty science aimed at convincing people that vaccines are dangerous, according to a new study.
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Meghan Moran, the lead author of the study, told LifeZette those websites could lead people to make risky choices about their children’s health and therefore create a significant health threat to the public.
A Johns Hopkins review of 500 anti-vaccine sites found significant misinformation — which, in turn, could place children at risk.
“Many of the sites present the misinformation that vaccinations are dangerous and that not vaccinating a child is a healthier choice,” Moran said. “The evidence shows us that vaccines do an incredible job at preventing a whole slough of communicable diseases, so it’s important to have a well-vaccinated population in order to protect the public health.”
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Moran said she came up with the idea for the study because an increasing number of parents were delaying vaccinating their children, or refusing to vaccinate altogether. She said she wanted to help the medical community develop ways to reach parents with the evidence-based message that vaccines save lives.
The analysis found that the anti-vaccination websites promoted positive behaviors like healthy eating, but more than two-thirds suggested vaccines were dangerous. Four in 10 sites claimed vaccines can cause brain injury. One of the most prevalent claims, however, is perhaps the most damaging.
“There were plenty of statements about vaccines causing autism, which is a myth that circulates that’s been widely debunked,” Moran said.
Why do so many parents still believe a vaccine can cause autism? Why do they continue to get answers from sources that don’t offer real scientific evidence?
For Jamie Pacton, the mother of a 7-year-old boy with autism, the answer is simple.
“I think that when people get an autism diagnosis, they feel blindsided, and I think the first initial reaction is to look for a cause or someone to blame,” the Portland, Oregon, mom told LifeZette. “It’s appealing because people need answers.”
Pacton is a work-from-home online English professor, novelist and columnist who writes frequently about autism.
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She said does not consider herself “anti-vaccine,” but understands why parents are more drawn to personal stories about vaccines than actual science. It’s why she writes a blog about it.
“That’s what parents are looking for. It’s parents talking to other parents. That’s how parents learn things,” she said.
Since her son’s diagnosis, Pacton has researched the history of autism and found it was around long before vaccines.
“It’s not new,” she said. “It didn’t just happen because Jenny McCarthy said it happened yesterday because of vaccines.”
The Johns Hopkins study, however, found that personal stories, especially those from celebrities like McCarthy, resonate with parents.
“There’s a ton of science that shows anecdotes and stories are incredibly persuasive forms of communication,” Moran said.
Based on her research, Moran said it’s important for health professionals not to judge parents who have been persuaded that vaccines are dangerous.
“I think it’s very clear that all parents are just trying to do what they think is best for their children,” she said.
Now, for the sake of public health, the goal is to find a way to connect with parents who are hesitant so they can understand the value of vaccination, Moran said.
“It may not be a simple, rational decision,” she said. “There’s lots of emotions and bigger issues at play here that we should be sensitive of.”
Moran presented the research Tuesday at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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