AUTHOR=Wang Xianglin , Feng Yi , Zhang Qian , Ye Lihong , Cao Man , Liu Ping , Liu Shimeng , Li Shunping , Zhang Juan 

TITLE=Parental preference for Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination in Zhejiang Province, China: A discrete choice experiment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.967693

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.967693

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: China is the only country in the world that has not included the Hib vaccine in its National Immunization Program, making it more difficult to eliminate Hib-related diseases through Hib vaccination. It is necessary to study parental preferences for Hib vaccination to optimize vaccine promotion strategies in China.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate Chinese parental preference for five attributes of Hib vaccination, i.e., the place of origin, effectiveness, adverse event, doctors’ recommendation, and the price of full vaccination when making decision to vaccinate their children under 2 years old.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two cities in Zhejiang Province from November to December in 2020 using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). A mixed logit model was used to estimate participating parents’ preference for Hib vaccination attributes included in the DCE. Subgroup analysis and probability analysis were also conducted to capture the heterogeneity and trade-off of parental preference for Hib vaccination.
Results: Data from 6168 observations were included in the analyses. Parents of children are, on average, more likely to voice a positive preference for Hib vaccination. Such attributes of Hib vaccination as effectiveness, adverse event, doctor’s recommendation, and the price of full vaccination were shown to influence preference for Hib vaccination. Parents with different demographic characteristics also existed heterogeneities in preference for Hib vaccination. Parents will make a trade-off on price if the Hib vaccine has a good performance on effectiveness and safety.
Conclusions: The study found that, regardless of the place of origin of the Hib vaccine, parents with children under 2 years old prefer to compromise on price if the vaccine has a better effectiveness and safety profile. A proactive recommendation from doctors would strengthen their willingness for Hib vaccination. These findings help aid the development of communication strategies with parents for Hib vaccination in China.