Interview 34

Brief Outline:

For all immunisations' Trusted and followed the advice of her Orthodox Jewish GP. Took in to account her parent's views and the fact she had immunisations as a child. Information from family and friends in the local community also influenced her decision.

Background:

At time of interview' married, 6 children. Sons aged 17, 10 and 5 years. Daughters aged 15, 12 and 3 years. Parent's occupation' Mother- Sure Start Information Manager, Father- Teacher. Ethnic background' White-British (Orthodox Jewish).

In Orthodox Jewish families, parents often follow what decision their own mothers made about...

Quite a lot of influence really. When I did my survey lots of people said, 'Oh, I give immunisation because my mother did. My mother gave me, and I give my children'. Yes, they just follow on. It's a family tradition. Because Jewish religion is based on tradition. And it's also our way of thinking really that everything that we do, I mean there are people who are called returnees, who are coming from a totally secular Jewish background, who have just found their roots as an adult, and that's one set of the community. But, somebody like me, who's Orthodox Jewish from birth, most of how I run my life is what my parents taught me and how I've seen in their house. So I guess immunisation is just another part of that structure.

The environment in which immunisations are given and the timing of clinics can affect parent's...

Well, I think that a trainee doctor, who's setting up their own surgery, this is not only for immunisations but for anything, it's very worthwhile to think about what their waiting room is like. Because if you've got a waiting room that's got no toys in whatsoever, children get very irritable. And also if they can make their immunisation clinics at a time that's suitable for mothers. I mean to make it half past two to half past three in the afternoon, I think because in the general world, people don't have so many children, so it could be that the person, child that they're immunising is their only child or that their other child is, there's a big gap. But with the Orthodox Jewish community, some people have a child like every eighteen months. And so when they're taking their child to be immunised, they could easily have a child in nursery as well that has to be picked up at half past three. So a doctor needs to think about their immunisation clinic times, what the waiting area is like, and make sure they have enough immunisations for that clinic. Someone shouldn't have to go there and then find they haven't got the immunisation available. 

Her decision was influenced by her parents' views and her Orthodox Jewish GP.

Coming back to the first one, well, I'll tell you a little bit about sort of how I would make my decisions. I think when I was a new mother, with my oldest one, it definitely took into account what my parents' views were and the fact that I'd had immunisations as a child. So my mother had immunised us therefore that would affect my decision. Also I'm Orthodox Jewish, and if we have a professional that's also Orthodox Jewish we, we take very seriously what they say. More so, I mean that's how it is with the religion. So I had an Orthodox Jewish GP and he would tell me, 'Yes, you should do this' and, 'No, you shouldn't do that'. But we did have, we did have it.