Parents more likely to decline vitamin K, hepatitis B vaccine doses for newborn girls than boys, data suggest
A study by researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania found that newborn girls in the U.S. were twice as likely as boys to miss vitamin K prophylaxis and slightly more likely to skip hepatitis B vaccination between 2018 and 2025, leaving them vulnerable to bleeding and liver disease. The CDC’s 2025 decision to stop recommending routine newborn HBV shots—contradicting the American Academy of Pediatrics—may have worsened declining vaccination rates, while sociocultural factors influenced parental refusal of these vaccines.
Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania analyzed data from 93,163 newborns at three healthcare centers, revealing significant disparities in vaccine administration based on sex. Newborn girls were twice as likely as boys to decline vitamin K (VK) prophylaxis (8.3 per 1,000 births) and slightly more likely to miss hepatitis B vaccination (HBV) (100.9 per 1,000 births), with 83% of VK-refused infants also missing HBV. Between 2018 and 2025, VK refusal rates doubled for both sexes, but girls accounted for two-thirds of those not receiving the injection. VK refusal rose from 4.0 per 1,000 male births in 2018 to 10.1 in 2025, while for girls, it increased from 9.6 to 19.8 per 1,000 births. HBV refusal also surged—from 77.9 per 1,000 male births in 2018 to 166.3 in 2025, and from 86.4 to 173.7 for girls. The study linked vaccine refusal to birth center, maternal race, and insurance status. Notably, none of the 777 newborns who missed VK received circumcision. Researchers speculated that parental hesitation over circumcision may have influenced VK acceptance for boys. The CDC’s 2025 decision to stop recommending routine HBV shots for newborns—contradicting the American Academy of Pediatrics—may have contributed to declining vaccination rates. The authors noted sociocultural and religious factors likely drive parental decisions, while global data show sex disparities in childhood vaccination persist in low- and middle-income countries. The findings highlight a growing gap in evidence-based newborn care, with girls disproportionately affected by vaccine refusal trends.
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