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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Vaccines and Molecular Therapeutics
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1444393

The relationship between influenza vaccine hesitancy and vaccine literacy among youth and adults in China

Provisionally accepted
Li WANG Li WANG 1Mengjie Guo Mengjie Guo 2*Yan Wang Yan Wang 2*Ren Chen Ren Chen 2*Xiaolin Wei Xiaolin Wei 1
  • 1 University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • 2 Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: The present study aimed to assess influenza vaccine hesitancy and vaccine literacy levels among youth and adults in China, as well as the association between them. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Mainland China. Participants' total vaccine literacy and three sub-dimension vaccine literacy (knowledge literacy, competence literacy, and decision-making literacy) were assessed by a validated vaccine literacy scale.Having received influenza vaccination in the past three years or intending to accept it in next influenza season indicates less influenza vaccine hesitancy.Results: Among 997 participants, a sub-optimal vaccine literacy was observed, with a mean score of 66.83±10.27. Regression models 1-4 revealed that participants with middle (aOR: 1.431, P=0.039, 95% CI: 1.018~2.010) or high (aOR: 1.651, P=0.006, 95% CI: 1.157~2.354) total vaccine literacy, as well as those with high competence literacy (aOR: 1.533, P=0.017, 95% CI:1.079~2.180) , or high decision-making literacy (aOR: 1.822, P=0.001, 95% CI:1.261~2.632) were more likely to have been vaccinated against influenza at least once in past three years. However, those with a high knowledge literacy were associated with a lower influenza vaccine rate (aOR: 0.676, P=0.046, 95% CI: 0.460~0.994). Regression models 5-8 revealed that participants with middle (aOR: 1.661, P=0.008, 95% CI: 1.142~2.414) or high total vaccine literacy (aOR: 2.645, P=0.000, 95% CI: 1.774~3.942) , as well as those with middle (aOR: 1.703, P=0.005, 95% CI: 1.177~2.464) or high competence literacy (aOR: 2.346, P=0.000, 95% CI: 1.159~3.461), or high decision-making literacy (aOR: 2.294, P=0.000, 95% CI: 1.531~3.436) were more likely to express the willingness to receive the influenza vaccine in the next influenza season.The participants' influenza vaccine hesitancy was negatively associated with their total vaccine literacy levels and two of the three

    Keywords: Vaccine hesitancy, Vaccine literacy, influenza vaccine, Vaccination, Residents

    Received: 05 Jun 2024; Accepted: 17 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 WANG, Guo, Wang, Chen and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Mengjie Guo, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
    Yan Wang, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
    Ren Chen, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.