A multi-site examination of vaccine uptake and contributing factors in youth with autism spectrum disorder

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may not be fully vaccinated for several reasons, including: caregiver belief in a vaccine-ASD link, difficulty with medical procedures in youth with ASD, and other factors that cause people to be hesitant about or miss vaccinations. We don't know much about vaccination rates or the factors that influence them in youth with ASD. We have already received funding to answer the following questions in Nova Scotia (NS): 1) What percentage of youth with ASD are vaccinated? 2) What factors influence vaccination of youth with ASD? In the proposed project, we will answer similar questions in Alberta (AB). We know that context plays a major role in vaccination uptake so it is important to consider whether our NS results generalize to other regions of Canada. We will use health databases to examine how often youth with ASD receive school-based vaccinations compared to their peers without ASD. We will also hold focus groups with caregivers of youth with ASD to explore factors that may influence vaccination of youth with ASD. We will compare vaccination rates and experiences in NS and AB, which will help us to develop strategies to support vaccination in youth with ASD at both local and national levels. This research is important because: 1) People with ASD represent at least 1% of Canada's population, so low rates of vaccination in this group would expose them and others to increased risk of infectious disease 2) If we find that youth with ASD are under-vaccinated, our results would provide a roadmap for making necessary changes 3) It will help us to understand issues that affect an under-served group in Canada. People with ASD have a hard time accessing healthcare services throughout their lives, placing them at increased risk for a range of medical problems. Our healthcare system must begin to respond to the unique needs of this group. Working to ensure access to vaccination is an important step in this direction.