Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among parents in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ABSTRACT

Background

COVID-19 vaccines are critical tools to manage the current pandemic. The objective of this study is to assess determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among parents in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of parents were performed, who had at least one child aged 5–17 years. The data were collected by a self-report questionnaire, which was based, predominately, on the Health Belief Model (HBM), between January 21 and 20 April 2021. The main outcome of this study aims to investigate the self-reported parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for their children that has been approved by health authorities in Vietnam.

Results

A total of 1,015 parents completed the survey. Parental COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy for their children (26.2%) was decreased with blue-collar workers, intended to get vaccinated themselves, indicated sufficient knowledge toward COVID-19, and their older children reported having comorbidities. In the HBM structure, the barriers were positively related to parents’ hesitancy to vaccinate their children, whilst perceived susceptibility and severity to illness, benefits of vaccination, and cues to action were less likely to cause a refusal of a vaccination for their children (all p < 0.05). The reasons for vaccine hesitancy included, predominately, concerns about side effects (81.6%), and vaccine safety (76.3%).

Conclusion

The findings show that almost a quarter of the study population are hesitant to vaccinate their children. Factors were associated with parental vaccination hesitancy for their children include sufficient knowledge of the COVID-19, older children and those with chronic conditions, and domains of HBM like the perception of susceptibility and severity to illness, benefit and barriers of vaccination, and cues to action. These will contribute to make planning in health communication strategies for the upcoming vaccination campaigns, as well as managing the pandemic.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• health belief model
• hesitancy
• vaccine
• parents
• Vietnam

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all of the parents who took part in the survey and the nurses for their assistance to collect the data. The authors also thank Raymond A Kuschert for assisting in translation.

Data availability

The data used to support this study are available from the first author upon request.

Disclosure of financial/other competing interests

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.