Research
Autism Risk Myths: 1 in 4 Adults Cite Vaccines or Tylenol
The Brief
- A cross-sectional study surveyed about 30,000 U.S. adults.
- 26.6% endorsed childhood vaccinations or acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy as an autism risk factor.
- The findings were reported by MedPage Today as a survey of public beliefs about autism causes.
Why it matters
The results show that a sizeable share of the public links autism to vaccines or prenatal acetaminophen, a belief that is not supported by the evidence and may affect health decisions and communication strategies.
Who’s affected
- public health researchers
- clinicians and physicians
- science communicators
- #autism
- #vaccines
- #acetaminophen
- #public health
- #misinformation
- #survey
(MedPage Today) -- About one in four U.S. adults endorsed childhood vaccinations or acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy as an autism risk factor, a cross-sectional study showed. In a nationwide survey of 30,000 adults, 26.6% endorsed...