Factors Influencing Childhood Influenza Vaccination: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Childhood influenza vaccination coverage remains low in lower/middle-income countries. This systematic review aims to identify influencing factors around childhood influenza vaccination. A systematic literature review was conducted and included empirical studies with original data that investigated factors influencing childhood influenza vaccination. We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, Global Health, PsycINFO, and two Chinese databases, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and Chongqing VIP, using a combination of the key terms ‘childhood’, ‘influenza’, ‘vaccination’, and related syntax for all peer-reviewed publications published before December 2019. Thirty studies were included in the analysis. Childhood influenza vaccination was positively associated with caregivers’ knowledge of influenza vaccine, positive vaccine attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility and severity of influenza, believing in the efficacy of influenza vaccine, the worry of getting sick, healthcare workers’ recommendations, and previous influenza vaccination experiences. Barriers included the fear of safety and side effects of the vaccine, as well as poor access to vaccination service. To improve childhood influenza vaccine uptake, health education is necessary to address caregivers’ lack of confidence on vaccine safety. Future studies are needed to investigate influencing factors around healthcare workers’ vaccination recommendation behaviors and the impact of contextual factors on public vaccination behaviors.