With regard to infectious diseases, the most economical, direct, and efficient way to prevent them is timely inoculation and a comprehensive policy of vaccination. Such steps not only reduce the overall mortality rate, but also lessen a patient¡¦s susceptibility to serious complications once infected, and therefore their length of hospital stay. It is the foundation of disease prevention in all countries, and should be the primary focus of every public health department. This survey is based on a health belief model and a self-constructed questionnaire. Its sample base are parents whose children have visited one of two local hospitals, each of which is in a different administrative region. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed. Recoveries were 270, of which 237 were useable. The effective response rate, therefore, is 67.7%. The useable recoveries were analyzed by SPSS, 17th edition, and verified and assumed by mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis and Logistic regression analysis. The most influential factors on parents¡¦ decision whether or not to accept streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination (SPV) were as follows: 1.The greater the understanding of SPV and its policy, the greater the number of vaccinations 2.The perceived importance of good health 3. Age variability 4. The interrelationship between the perception and the policy of vaccination, the benefits of - and barriers to ¡V action, and the virulence and severity of the disease The results of this research suggest the public perception of SPV is the most important factor governing its efficacy. It is recommended, therefore, that public health departments campaign for SPV in a variety of different ways,( e.g. in newspapers and magazines, on TV, at pediatric clinics, at health centers, etc.) in order to establish a free and open flow of information to the public at large. It is in the hope of reducing the current mortality rate, length and cost of hospital stay and the serious complications arising from infection, that we offer the following data as reference for future planning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 210 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.