Vaccine Education: A Teen’s Perspective

Vaccine Education: A Teen’s Perspective and Call for Informed Decision-Making

When you hear the word vaccine, what do you think of? I hear about a gift that saves lives and keeps people healthy. For others, the word may come across negatively. Some view vaccines as harmful, and others as risky to use. This includes routine vaccinations that have been around for nearly a century and the more recent COVID-19 vaccinations.  

I am a 16-year-old girl from New Jersey who has grown up always being told which injections I was receiving, what they do, and why I was getting them, meaning I was always educated on the importance and benefits of vaccines. Not only that, but I have, for the past four years, been focused on pursuing a medical career, volunteering at hospitals and other health-related organizations, which helped me understand more about what it is like to be sick and how vaccinations can not only keep you healthy, but also save your life.

I understand that not everyone grew up educated on vaccines, and there's a lot of caution people take around them as they feel they cannot trust them. We must learn and understand what vaccinations are and how they keep us safe so that, as adults, we can make our own decisions on whether we want them.

The issue is that people are assuming the worst about vaccines without accurate and timely information. Have you ever heard someone say the COVID-19 shot would cause infertility, hair loss, or some other crazy theory? Well, that is all they are - crazy theories that aren’t backed up by science.

I have a friend who got all her vaccines and stayed completely up to date with her health, but when it was time to get a COVID vaccination, she refused because she was scared.

Since I was comfortable talking about vaccines and what they did, I spoke with her and figured out why she was so nervous about getting this one. She explained that someone in her family heard from a friend that the COVID vaccine can cause infertility, and that generated fear in their minds, and so they decided they were not going to risk it.

I told her I'm not a doctor and cannot confirm or deny such theories, but if you are scared, that is okay. You have access to a physician and other health professionals and can ask them questions and what risks are involved.

The important thing that I made sure to do when talking with her was to make sure she felt comfortable talking with me about it and didn’t feel forced. I wanted to make sure that she felt that I wasn't making her get a vaccine but that I cared about her health and wanted her to the information she needed, so that she could make that decision for herself with accurate information. My friend spoke with her physician about a month or two later, and afterward, she decided to get the vaccine.

If you have questions, concerns, or worries about a vaccine you might receive, please talk to a healthcare provider. It's okay to ask questions and get clarity. It is important that people not get vaccines solely because someone told them to or they feel pressured, but instead because they learned what vaccines are and what they do and changed their mindset.

Because I grew up knowing about them, vaccines were never scary to me. But if they are to you, that is okay, and I promise you are not alone. I ask that you bring up your fears to someone educated on vaccines and make your choices from there. And remember, as an adult, it is always your choice.

Another concern is that some people grew up with parents who were against vaccines, so they were not exposed to others’ opinions or the facts. I understand the feeling. I've always wanted to stand with my parents and believe in whatever they believe in, but at some point in life, you have to make your own informed decisions. If you don’t feel like you can talk to your parents about vaccinations, there are other ways to stay informed.

As a teenager, when I had a problem in school, I would turn to my friends. If I had a question about my health, I would turn to my doctor or even the school nurse.

You can always access other resources to learn and qualified people willing to talk with you. You don’t have to feel that you are alone.

Everyone should actively participate in their own health decisions, because it is their body, not anyone else's. If someone very close to you has a different opinion about vaccines or how to stay healthy, that is okay, too. 

After reading this, I encourage you to ask your doctor which vaccine you're supposed to be getting next at your next doctor’s appointment and ask them questions such as “Why should I get this particular vaccine now?” “What is inside this vaccine, and how does that help me?” and “What exactly is this vaccine going to do inside my body?”

Those three questions are important because many people create assumptions or are too scared to ask. Vaccinations can be scary, and they can cause worry, it's just important that when you feel that way, you speak to someone and get informed. If, after asking those three questions, you still feel cautious or concerned, ask more questions.

Ask questions until you don't feel worried anymore, and if you decide you want or don't want that vaccine, it is up to you. What’s most important is that you have all the information you need to make informed decisions yourself.

-written by Olivia Kanterman, a high school student from New Jersey