ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Nine out of 10 U.S. parents rank vaccine safety and the safety of medicines as the most important topics in children's health research, a survey indicates.
The C.S. Mott Children's National Poll on Children's Health asked 1,621 U.S. parents to rate the importance of different types of medical research for children's health. The survey indicates:
-- 89 percent say vaccine safety is their top research priority.
-- 88 chose medication safety and effectiveness.
-- 72 percent say research should be done on things in the environment that could lead to health issues.
-- 67 percent say foods that might protect against cancer.
-- 66 percent say new treatment for rare childhood diseases.
-- 64 percent say research is needed on cancer-causing foods.
-- 64 percent say new treatments for common childhood illnesses.
-- 46 percent say research is needed for leading causes of injuries.
"Parental concerns about the safety of vaccines have increased markedly over the last decade, due to alleged but later disproven links between vaccines and autism and related concerns about mercury and other preservatives used in vaccines," Dr. Matthew Davis, director of the poll and associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, says in a statement.
The survey was conducted Aug. 13 to Sept. 7. The margin of error is 2 percentage points to 3 percentage points, depending on the question.
