Abstract
The influenza vaccination coverage among children is low in China. We aimed to conduct a nationwide survey to quantify parental preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for influenza vaccination for their children. Parents with children aged six months to 18 years from six provinces in China were investigated by a discrete choice experiment regarding six influenza vaccination attributes. Mixed logit models were used to estimate the relative importance of vaccine attributes and parents’ WTP. Interaction analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted to explore preference heterogeneity. A total of 1206 parents were included in the analysis. Parents reported vaccine effectiveness as the most important vaccine attribute. The mode of vaccine administration had no significant impact on parents’ preferences. Parents aged over 30 years with higher education or income levels were more likely to prefer no influenza vaccination for their children. The largest marginal WTP (CNY 802.57) for vaccination and the largest increase in vaccine uptake (41.85%) occurred with improved vaccine effectiveness from 30% to 80%. Parents from central regions or mid-latitude areas had a relatively lower WTP than those from other regions. No significant difference in the relative importance of vaccine attributes were observed among parents from various regions of China.
Highlights
The incidence of influenza infection and its complications are highest among children, reaching 50% in epidemic seasons [1]
Our study showed that parents in China preferred influenza vaccination with a high vaccine effectiveness, low risk of mild side effects, vaccination recommendation from a physician, long duration of protection, and low cost of vaccination
We found that influenza vaccine effectiveness was the most important attribute for parents regarding vaccinating their children
Summary
The incidence of influenza infection and its complications are highest among children, reaching 50% in epidemic seasons [1]. A global survey showed that the influenza virus causes 10.1 million cases of acute lower respiratory infection and 15,300 in-hospital deaths among children under five years of age annually [2]. In China, the number of influenzarelated outpatient consultations for children under 15 years old is 4.1-fold greater than the number for adults aged 60 years or above [3]. Children play an important role in the spread of influenza in schools, households, and communities, causing a large number of school-age children to be absent from school and parents to be absent from work, which results in large disease and economic burdens [4,5]. Influenza vaccination is the most effective way to protect against influenza infection [6–8]. Previous studies support the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination
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