Do Chinese Parents Deny to Vaccinate Their Children? An Analysis of Vaccine Hesitation and Influencing Factors

Abstract

Background: China has the largest number of vaccinated population around the world. However, there has been little research on the prevalence and associated factors of vaccine hesitation among Chinese parents of preschool child, and further research is urgently needed. Therefore, we carried out a survey to evaluate the status of vaccine hesitation and its associated factors among children’s parents and provided an reference for relevant research and policy-making. Methods: A cluster random sampling method was adopted to select 6 community health service centers of Shenzhen, and parents of preschool children who were immunized in the vaccination outpatient department in the selected community health centers were recruited and surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Vaccine hesitation was assessed by the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) scale. A multi-variable analysis assessed the relationship between demographics characteristics and scores of hesitance scale. Results: A total of 1,025 parents filled out the questionnaires with effective recovery rate of 93.18%. The average score of vaccine hesitancy was 43.37 (43.37±10.34) points, with 58.50% of parents have delayed having their child get a shot, and 74.73% of parents concerned that their child might have a serious side effect from a shot. The results of multiple linear regression showed the number of children in the family (β=-0.93, 95%CI: -1.31 – -0.54), the health status of the child (β=0.47, 95%CI: 0.07 – 0.87), the education level of the parents (Father:β=-0.84, 95%CI: -1.37 – -0.31; Mother: = -1.59, 95%CI: -2.13 – -1.05), and the annual family income (β=1.64, 95%CI: 1.13 – 2.16) were significant associated with vaccine hesitation. Conclusions: The average score of parents' vaccine hesitation in Shenzhen was 43.37. The results showed that the number of children in the family, the health status of the children, the educational level of the parents and the annual family income were important factors influencing the parents' vaccine hesitation. Funding Information: This study was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (18ZDA085) and Science and Technology Innovation Commission of Shenzhen. Declaration of Interests: We declare that we have no conflict of interests. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China and performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Respondents were informed that their participation was voluntary, and consent was implied on the completion of the questionnaire.