Characteristics of families who attend free vaccine fairs

Objective. To determine the health care resources and perceived barriers to care of families attending free vaccine fairs. Design. A cross-sectional survey. Setting. Twelve free vaccine fairs in Denver, Colorado, in 1994. Participants. A total of 533 consecutive parents or guardians of children r eceiving vaccine at the fairs, Interventions, None. Measurements/Results. Survey respondents reported that their children recei ved regular health care through a private physician or health maintenance o rganization (HMO) (47%), a public clinic (20%), or a hospital-based clinic (14%); 18% had no regular site for health care. Twenty-seven percent of the families carried private insurance, although less than half of these plans covered children's vaccines: 9% were enrolled in an HMO or a preferred pro vider organization and 13% had Medicaid, whereas 50% had no health insuranc e. Families who received primary care at a private physician's office (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.01-2.7) and those with no regular site for health care (OR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.01-4.0) were more Likely than those who went to a public cli nic or hospital clinic to report fi ee vaccine as the most important reason for attending a vaccine fair. Conversely, families who received well-child care at a hospital clinic were more likely to identify no appointment need ed as the most important reason (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.4-5.1), Families with p rivate health insurance (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.05-4.0) or no health insurance (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.6) were more likely to identify free vaccine as the most important reason for attending a vaccine fair, whereas those enrolled in an HMO or preferred provider organization identified convenient time as the most important reason (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.2-8.3), Families with Medica id (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.3-8.3) or with no insurance (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.02-4 .6) were more Likely than were those with private insurance to identify no appointment needed as the most important reason for attending a vaccine fai r. Conclusions. Most families attending fi ee vaccine fairs have a regular sou rce of health care; For families with private health insurance or with no h ealth insurance, the availability of free vaccine is the major reason to br ing their children to a vaccine fair, whereas for families whose insurance routinely covers the cost of childhood vaccine (HMO, Medicaid), convenience is the major determinant.