Indeed, earlier research has identified safety concerns as a barrier to MMR immunisation check details [30]. Conversely, there was no difference in beliefs about the side effects of dTaP/IPV between parents with maximum immunisation intentions and parents with less than maximum intentions. As parents generally did not perceive this to be a likely and/or serious outcome, it appears that other beliefs may be more salient in determining

intention, such as beliefs about the importance of booster doses. For both vaccinations, however, parents with maximum intentions were more likely to believe that having the one injection would be less painful than giving each component separately. Whilst positive attitudes were important for MMR and dTaP/IPV; perceived control only predicted parents’ intentions to take their child for MMR. Examination of the range of scores (Table 4) revealed that parents in the dTaP/IPV group were either indifferent (i.e. with a score in the middle of the possible range) or felt ‘in control’ (i.e. with a score above the middle of the possible range) of whether or not they took their child for this vaccination. However, some parents in the MMR group reported that they were not in control of whether or not they took their child for MMR (as indicated by a score below the middle of the possible range). It is possible, therefore, that perceived control was more

important for parents considering MMR. Examination of the find more beliefs underlying this component supported these findings: differences in control beliefs were found between parents with maximum intentions and parents with less than maximum

intentions in the MMR group but not in the dTaP/IPV group. For MMR, parents with maximum intentions had more positive beliefs about the immunisation service and were less likely to be hindered by a fear of needles and their own immunisation history. Modulators Consequently, parents may need more information and greater support about MMR from healthcare professionals. Apprehensive parents may also come up with reasons to defer taking their child for MMR, such as their fear of needles or lack of free time. These reasons (or potential ‘excuses’ for non-attendance) may reflect a lingering TCL anxiety about MMR that could usefully be addressed in communication between professionals and parents during the decision-making process. Although family size was not related to MMR, parents with more children had stronger intentions to immunise with dTaP/IPV. Whilst some studies have shown that larger family size is associated with lower rates of immunisation [2], [31] and [32], this finding was consistent with the qualitative findings. In the interviews [4], parents with older children reported feeling more confident in making decisions for their preschool child. Confidence came from positive experiences with immunisation and their experience as parents.