SKAI engages parents to help close growing immunity gap among adolescents

A new communication suite designed to empower parents to make informed decisions about adolescent vaccination – and help reverse widespread declines in vaccine uptake among teenagers in Australia – has been added to the Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) website.

Created by a team of NCIRS experts in immunisation, social and behavioural science and health communication, SKAI Adolescent addresses the diverse spectrum of parental attitudes towards vaccination – from accepting to questioning to refusing – by providing clear, practical guidance on a range of topics related to the vaccines recommended for adolescents in Australia, including those that are offered free under the National Immunisation Program. 

‘This new SKAI support offering is unlike any other in Australia – because it focuses on equipping parents with the evidence-based information they need to have positive conversations with healthcare professionals about the importance of on-time adolescent vaccinations,’ said Dr Kathleen Prokopovich, Senior Research Officer, Social Science NCIRS. 

The new website pages provide in-depth information and answer common questions related to topics including: 

• human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
• diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) booster vaccination
• meningococcal B and meningococcal ACWY vaccination
• influenza vaccination
• vaccination for adolescents with medical risk factors
• vaccination for adolescents with disability.

‘When the recommended vaccinations are missed or delayed, it puts adolescents – and possibly their families and the broader community – at risk of these potentially serious vaccine preventable diseases,’ said Associate Professor Frank Beard, Associate Director, Surveillance, Coverage, Evaluation and Social Science at NCIRS.

The latest NCIRS data confirm there has been a sustained and concerning downturn in vaccine uptake among adolescents in Australia. Specifically: 

• the percentage of adolescents receiving at least one dose of HPV vaccine by 15 years of age fell from 86.6% (girls) and 84.9% (boys) in 2020 to just 81.1% and 77.9% (respectively) in 2024
• coverage for meningococcal ACWY vaccine among adolescent boys and girls turning 17 years of age dropped from 74.3% in 2020 to 71.3% in 2024.

‘Adolescent vaccination coverage has declined steadily since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,’ said Professor Julie Leask of the University of Sydney, a Visiting Professorial Fellow at NCIRS. ‘These assets meet the need for high-quality information about adolescent vaccines. 

‘Parents are asking for more information,’ Professor Leask continued, ‘and this is a critical moment when misinformation is gaining a stronger foothold globally. It’s essential that caregivers and adolescents are supported throughout the vaccination process.’

The aim of the SKAI website is to engage with communities to build trust and understanding in the value of immunisation, and help people discern misinformation – consistent with the strategic goal set out in the National Immunisation Strategy For Australia 2025–2030. 

The Adolescent package expands on the existing suite of information available on the SKAI website about vaccination during pregnancy, for babies and infants and in childhood.

‘NCIRS is planning a multi-setting rollout of this new SKAI communication suite to ensure parents have access to information wherever adolescent vaccines are administered, including general practices, pharmacies and – most importantly – school-based programs, where approximately 85–90% of adolescents are immunised,’ concluded Dr Prokopovich.  

Explore the SKAI website