Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories may have 'detrimental consequences' for children's health
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 06:33
in Psychology & Sociology
A belief in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories may have significant and detrimental consequences for children's health, new research has shown. In the study, 89 parents were interviewed about their views on anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and then asked them to indicate their intention to have a fictional child vaccinated. It was found that stronger belief in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories was associated with lower intention to vaccinate. In a second study, 188 participants were exposed to information concerning anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. It was found that reading this material reduced their intention to have a fictional child vaccinated, relative to participants who were given refuting information or those in a control condition.