The impact of health scares on parents’ information needs and preferred information sources: a case study of the MMR vaccine scare

Health scares are characterized by mass media reporting that generates panic about a particular health issue or intervention, and those involved often require information. This article describes a study that aimed to examine the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination scare, its impact on parents of young children, and its effect on their need for information. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were carried out with parents in Sheffield, UK. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed several categories including the one presented in this article, ‘Information and the MMR vaccine’. The health scare increased parents’ information needs in relation to their decision whether to have their child vaccinated. Parents viewed traditional sources of information critically as they did not consider them to be trustworthy. Parents considered trustworthiness of the information source to be an important factor. Ongoing work in this area is investigating these issues through a large-scale, quantitative study.