Speaker: Esther Lermytte (Ghent University)
Childhood vaccination, while often framed through its public health impact, is deeply rooted in societal processes. It occupies a unique space, bridging global technological advancements with the intimate world of parenting. Parental vaccine decision-making is frequently polarised and moralised, with hesitancy attributed to knowledge or trust deficits, rather than being examined through the lens of societal processes and institutional influences. Taking a sociological perspective and drawing on theories of risk, trust, and societal discourses, this presentation focuses on the embeddedness of childhood vaccination and parental decision-making within the healthcare system. By integrating personal, interpersonal, and systemic perspectives, this research explores how the social worlds of vaccine hesitant parents, young children, and healthcare providers interact within healthcare system contexts in ways that shape both.
Biography:
Esther Lermytte is a PhD student in Sociology at the Department of Sociology, affiliated with the Health and Demographic Research (HeDeRa) group at Ghent University. She has contributed to the “VAX-TRUST - Addressing vaccine hesitancy in Europe" project (2021-2024). Her PhD research focuses on the sociological dimensions of childhood vaccination and parental vaccine hesitancy, with a particular emphasis on the role of healthcare systems.
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Institute for Science and SocietySchool of Sociology and Social PolicyLaw and Social SciencesUniversity of NottinghamUniversity Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD