Vaccine hesitancy among parents in Kuala Lumpur: a single center study

Abstract

Background: Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is defined as the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services. The main objective of this study was to improve the understanding of vaccine hesitancy (VH) among parents in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, by determining the prevalence of VH among parents and to identify the predictors associated with a vaccine hesitant attitude. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in KL. A questionnaire was devised to collect information from parents, namely sociodemographic information, WHO determinants of VH and the Parents Attitude towards Childhood Vaccine (PACV) scale. Results: A total of 380 questionnaires were distributed and 337 were returned (88.6% response rate). Those that completed 49 (>90%) out of the 55 given questions in the survey were included for data analysis. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 were excluded, giving a sample size of 314. To identify parents, those with at least one child were included, giving a sample size of 221. We noted 60.2% (189) of the participants were females and 80.3% (252) were Malay. Our study found a prevalence of VH of 14.5% among parents based on the 15-item PACV scale.  Univariate analysis found no link between sociodemographic factors and VH in parents. Only five of these determinants were included in the final model as statistically significant ( p < 0.05) predictors of VH among parents in KL. The five factors were introduction to a new vaccine, negative past experiences of vaccinations, distrust of the pharmaceutical industry, distrust of health systems and providers and being male. Conclusions: Factors contributing towards a prevalence of VH of 14.5% in KL, Malaysia must be studied further to identify any temporal relationship to the under-immunization of children in order to reach the WHO goal of 100% immunization coverage in children and eradication of vaccine preventable diseases.