It’s tough to keep track of everything, including preventive health. Keeping up with needed vaccines and knowing what to do can feel overwhelming. Unity wants to help parents and teens stay on TASK. This helpful acronym stands for:
- Trust good resources,
- Ask your healthcare provider,
- Schedule an appointment, and
- Know where to get vaccinated.
By following these four guiding steps, parents can support their teens to make sure they are up to date on vaccinations and following recommendations for year-round protection. Read on to learn more about each critical step in staying on TASK with recommended adolescent vaccines.
Trust Good Resources
Vaccines have saved more lives than any other medical intervention in history, and we have countless public health agencies and organizations to thank for their diligent efforts in fostering vaccination as a public health tool. Agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization provide factual resources for the public to feel confident in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Health advocacy organizations like Unity Consortium, Immunize.org, and Vaccinate Your Family, among many others, all share resources and information to support vaccination initiatives and programs that help parents and teens stay in the know about all things vaccines and up to date on recommended immunizations. What do all these resources have in common? They’re based in fact. There is value in having trust in the information we read about vaccines, and knowing where to find trustworthy resources is a great place to start.
Unity’s recent survey findings highlight that while parents and teens know there is helpful information about vaccines online, they find trustworthy information hard to find and hard to understand. Misinformation online also makes it hard to discern what is based in fact, which is why we want to encourage you to always check the source of the information or statistic before assuming its truth. The organizations and agencies mentioned above are a great place to start, but don’t stop there. There are plenty of independent scientific contributors as well that can get you the information you need. Dr. Andrea Love, immunologist and microbiologist, is the writer of a website and newsletter, ImmunoLogic, with lots of insightful vaccine information. Knowing what resources we can rely on helps us to feel confident in the information we are consuming online.
Ask Your Healthcare Provider
Research shows that healthcare providers are the most trusted source of health information. Providers want to be part of the conversation, so whether you’re a parent seeking answers or a teen looking to take charge of your preventative health, let them be a source of confidence to inspire healthy decision-making regarding vaccination. Finding a healthcare provider to talk to can be as easy as locating your nearest pediatrician’s office, local health clinic, or even talking to your pharmacist. We know you have questions, and we want to get them answered. Public health professionals can also be a great resource in answering questions relating to the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Check out Unity’s Know Your Vax page for the most recent vaccine recommendations, as well as our Q&A guides available for both parents and teens.
Schedule an Appointment
Adolescents need vaccines that protect against meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, HPV-related cancers, COVID-19, and flu, and it’s never too late to schedule an appointment for a yearly well visit to stay on track. Make a call to your local clinic, health department, or pharmacy today to stay up to date on recommended immunizations. The CDC immunization schedule also includes a helpful catch-up schedule if you have missed the recommended age. Getting vaccinated now is the most important thing you can do to protect against serious illness later, so take this opportunity to call and learn more about what you are eligible for.
Know Where to get Vaccinated
So, you’ve read the facts about immunization, and you feel confident in getting your recommended vaccines? That’s excellent! Fortunately, there are many online resources to make that process easier. Vaccines.gov is an excellent place to help find yearly Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, but don’t just stop there. The department of Health and Human Services has put together a helpful “Where to go” Guide that details all the locations you can find recommended vaccinations for adolescents and young adults. They even have local health department resources listed for each state to find personalized locations near you. Whether you choose to vaccinate at a doctor’s office, pharmacy, or health clinic, don’t let finding an appointment be a barrier to your preventive health.
TASK is your year-round reminder to prioritize preventive health through vaccination, and it’s important to know the details of each step. By taking the time to find confidence in the facts, getting your questions answered, and making the appointments, you are well on your way to preventing serious illness. Use this acronym to take charge of your life-long health in staying on TASK with vaccines.
