Dengue Vaccine Controversy Awareness, Vaccine Health Literacy, and Vaccine Acceptability among Mothers in Select Rural Communities

Abstract

Background: Immunization is a vital public health service that reduces transmission of communicable diseases among population groups. In the Philippines, reports of adverse reaction from the dengue vaccine raised doubts about its safety and efficacy. This in turn can bring about a decline in vaccine acceptability among mothers and later on result to reduced vaccine coverage in the country.
 Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional correlational design were used to explicate the influence of dengue vaccine controversy awareness and vaccine health literacy on vaccine acceptability among mothers. Data were collected among 200 mothers from August – November 2018 in rural communities of Bulacan. Stepwise forward and backward multiple linear regression were done to determine the relationships between the variables of interest.
 Results: Majority of the mothers who participated belong to 26-35 year old age bracket and received basic education. Mothers’ functional health literacy (B=0.189, p=0.006) and critical health literacy (B=0.247, p=0.000) revealed a significant relationship to vaccine acceptability. However, the communicative health literacy (B=0.008, p=0.917) showed no significant relationship to vaccine acceptability. Moreover, the dengue vaccine controversy awareness (B=0.057, p=0.415) had no significant relationships to the mothers’ vaccine acceptability.
 Conclusion: Health literacy favorably influences vaccine acceptability. Likewise, awareness of controversies surrounding dengue vaccination is not a deterrent to the decision of mothers to continue submitting their children to immunization. Hence, nurses should invest more in educational interventions to promote compliance of communities to the national immunization program and engage stakeholders to support its implementation.

COVID-19 vaccine literacy: A scoping review

“…High overall HL-COVID level, difficulties dealing with COVID-19 info in elderly, those living in southern regions, and with high financial deprivation . Regression analysis Suitner 67 2022 Italy, elderly 600, 311 M 289 feM; Age 67.51 ± 1.46 Cross-sectional - phone interview Questions about Pneumococcus and Pneumo vaccines Majority aware of Pneumo vaccine availability Region of residence Vaccine knowledge - Very low reported vaccination status (11.2%) , Descriptive analysis Sumile 68 2020 Philippines, mothers 200, Different age groups Cross-sectional survey vaccine health literacy scale (Aharon’s) Functional: 3.14 ± 0.76 Communicative: 2.95 ± 0.87 Critical: 3.65 ± 0.74 - Vaccine acceptability - Mothers’ functional HL (p:0.006) and critical HL (p:0.000) significantly related to vaccine acceptability . Multiple linear regression Turhan 8 2021 Turkey, general population 620, F 66.9%, Age: 35.06 ± 12.95 Cross-sectional, online survey December 2020 COVID-19 VL: two questions about COVID-19 vaccine information access l COVID-19 VL score: 5.66 ± 2.76 Mask-wearing, hygienic rules Healthcare system distrust, vaccine hesitancy Health Care System Distrust Scale (HCSDS), Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) HL mediation role of the relationship between healthcare system distrust and vaccine hesitancy Structural Equation Model (SEM) a Wang 69 China, parents M 520 F 1344, Age: 32.2 ± 4.1 Cross-sectional, face to face survey April 2016 Three questions about a vaccination scandal - ...…”

“…The same HLVa scale was utilized in the Philippines to evaluate parents’ awareness, VL, and Dengue vaccine acceptance, 68 in addition to a survey carried out about VL and the degree of information and awareness of Italian adolescents regarding teens’ vaccination. 63…”

“…Moreover, as noted above, the HLVa scale was also used to assess VL in studies carried out outside the COVID-19 context, 63–65 also including literacy specific to other communicable diseases, such as Dengue. 68 This may represent another interesting area for further research about VL.…”

Vaccine Literacy and Vaccination: A Systematic Review

“…It was discovered that parents with higher functional and critical VL were more likely to choose the domestic vaccine. One study examined the association between VL and maternal uptake of the dengue vaccine in children ( 29 ). Mothers’ functional and critical VL levels exhibited a significant correlation with vaccination acceptance.…”

“…However, inequities in access to immunization within nations continue, and there remain difficulties in achieving goal vaccination rates ( 49 ). LMICs accounted for less than 40% of the studies we included ( 22 , 28 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 39 ), more research in LMICs is required due to the importance of VL in vaccination. To prepare for the future’s unpredictability, countries could develop plans to increase vaccination rates and improve the public’s VL.…”