This study was designed to provide a contextualized understanding of vaccine hesitancy and its determinants at the macro and the micro levels in Canada. Using the Delphi technique and an iterative process amongst immunization researchers, policy makers, and providers, a consensus understanding of vaccine hesitancy was established. The project also provided an understanding of the extent and impact of vaccine hesitancy on Canadian vaccination programs.

A historical study of the changing political and social context of parental and professional discourse about measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization since 1963 was also conducted by two historians of the SSHN, Dr. Heather MacDougall and Dr. Laurence Monnais. By using multiple historical sources, the overall goal of this phase of the research was to understand the various factors (political, religious, economic, scientific, and socio-cultural) affecting childhood immunization uptake in Canada. To better understand the current determinants of vaccine hesitancy, in-depth interviews were also conducted with a purposeful sample of key informants (experts, health professionals, front-line vaccine providers and parents) in different Canadian jurisdictions.

Team Members:

• Eve Dubé, Project Lead, Université Laval
• Heather MacDougall, University of Waterloo
• Julie Bettinger, University of British Columbia
• François Boucher, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval
• David Buckeridge, McGill University
• William Fisher, University of Western Ontario
• Arnaud Gagneur, Université de Sherbrooke
• Janice Graham, Dalhousie University
• Maryse Guay, Université de Sherbrooke
• Juliet Guichon, University of Calgary
• Jane Heffernan, York University
• Shannon MacDonald, University of Alberta
• Laurence Monnais, Université de Montréal
• Dat Tran, University of Toronto
• Kumanan Wilson, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
• Holly Witteman, Université Laval