Frequently
Asked
Questions by
Parents and Guardians
What is the purpose of the survey?
Who uses this information?
How are telephone numbers selected?
Is there a letter that explains the purpose of the study?
What is the legal authorization for the study?
How is confidentiality of information assured?
Why does the study
request information from medical providers?
Will medical
providers give a child's full medical history to the
CDC?
What information
is available about immunizations
and about places that provide immunization shots?
What is the purpose of the survey?
The purpose of the National Immunization Survey is to monitor the immunizations of
children across the country. It has been discovered that many children are not receiving
their required immunizations, and this could potentially lead to the re-emergence of
many serious diseases.
Who uses this information?
The National Center for Health Statistics and the National Immunization Program (both
agencies are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) will use the results
of the study to help improve children's health. By monitoring immunization across the
country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is able to assess the extent to
which the country, States, and certain metropolitan areas are reaching the immunization
goals of the Childhood Immunization Initiative. The results of the study do not
involve any personal identifying information from survey participants. They are available
only at the metropolitan, State, or national level.
How
are telephone numbers selected?
A computer randomly generates the telephone numbers that are used for the study's
telephone survey. No person or organization provides the study with any telephone
numbers. (The survey involves conducting interviews with people across the entire
country.)
Is there a letter that explains the study?
Most households selected for the study receive a
letter in advance that explains the
purpose of the study. This letter is from Dr. Edward J. Sondik, Director of the
National Center for Health Statistics. Not all selected households receive a letter
in advance, however, because the study does not have the mailing address for all telephone
numbers selected for the study. You may contact the
study's telephone survey researchers
at (866) 999-3340 to have a letter sent to your home.
What
is the legal authorization for the study?
The study is being conducted on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and it is authorized by the Public Health Service
Act [Sections 306 & 2102(a)(7)]. You may call our toll-free number 1-800-223-8118 to verify the legitimacy of this survey and
obtain more information. Please mention protocol
#2000-17.
How is
confidentiality of information assured?
Confidentiality is mandated by law. Findings will be issued only in summary
form and U.S. law requires that the name of study participants not be
associated with any answers. The federal laws that require all information
we collect to be held in strict confidence are the Privacy Act of 1974,
Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 242m(d)], and the
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (PL
107-347). If any federal employee, contractor, or agent gives out
confidential information not authorized by law, he or she can be fired,
fined, and/or imprisoned.
Disclosure
of Confidential Information
Why does the study request information
from the children's medical provider?
We have discovered that vaccination information from doctors and clinics tends to be the
most up-to-date and comprehensive and that the quality of the study's results is much
improved by combining the information given by households with that given by medical
providers. It is important that we obtain the most reliable information possible about
children's vaccinations so that we can provide the public with reliable estimates.
Will
the medical provider give a child's full medical history to the CDC?
No. With the permission of a parent or legal guardian, we send a request form, along with
a record of the parent or guardian's consent, to the child's doctor or clinic. The
request form asks specifically about the vaccination records only, and we do not expect
providers to give any other information.
Once immunization data have been collected, identifying information is no longer necessary
or used. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assure you that any names of
children, as well as any names of doctors or clinics, will not be used in any study
results.
What information is available about
immunizations and about places that provide immunizations?
For more information regarding vaccinations or the phone number of a doctor or clinic near
you, please call the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Information Contact Center at (800) 232-4636
(1-800-CDC-INFO) and select option 1. For more information about immunization, please visit the Web site
for the National Immunization
Program.
This page last reviewed
February 02, 2009
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