Randomised controlled trial of the use of a modified postal reminder card on the uptake of measles vaccination
a Department of Public
Health and Community Medicine (A27), University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia, b Health Department, City
of Ballarat, c Health Department,
City of Ballarat
Correspondence to: Dr Hawe.
Accepted 4
February 1998
OBJECTIVE
To determine
whether rewording postal reminder cards according to the "health
belief model", a theory about preventive health behaviour, would help
to improve measles vaccination rates.
DESIGNA randomised
controlled trial, with blind assessment of outcome status. Parents of
children due for their first measles vaccination were randomised to one
of two groups, one receiving the health belief model reminder card, the
other receiving the usual, neutrally worded card. The proportion of
children subsequently vaccinated in each group over a five week period
was ascertained from clinical (provider based) records.
SETTINGA local
government operated public vaccination clinic.
PARTICIPANTSParents
of 259 children due for measles vaccination.
MAIN RESULTSThe
proportion of children vaccinated in the health belief model card group
was 79% compared with 67% of those sent the usual card (95% CI, 2%
to 23%), a modest but important improvement.
CONCLUSIONThis study
illustrates how the effectiveness of a minimal and widely practised
intervention to promote vaccination compliance can be improved with
negligible additional effort.
© 1998 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
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