Yellow fever vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers of children below five years in Kyetume Parish, Mukono District, Uganda

Abstract

Background: Despite a safe and effective vaccine being available, yellow fever remains a reoccurring public health threat, with vaccine hesitancy hindering achievement of full vaccination benefits.Objective: This study aimed to assess prevalence and some of the key factors for yellow fever vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers of children under five in Kyetume, Mukono District, Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among 309 parents and caregivers of children under five years. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of parents and caregivers and the prevalence of yellow fever vaccine hesitancy among them. Independent T-tests were used to compare means between groups where appropriate. Bivariate analysis using Chi-square tests and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to explore associations between yellow fever vaccine hesitancy and socio-demographic, awareness levels, and other access related factors. Results: Prevalence of yellow fever vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers was at 47.9% (nearly half). Whereas bivariate analysis showed associations with social-demographic, knowledge, and access factors, multivariable logistic regression identified vaccine availability in the community (AOR = 0.302, 95% CI: 0.120 - 0.760, p = 0.011), fewer barriers to access (AOR = 0.821, 95% CI: 0.747 - 0.902, p < 0.001) and frequency of vaccines in the community (AOR = 0.855, 95% CI: 0.781 - 0.937, p < 0.001) as the independent predictors of reduced vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: From the findings, urgent efforts are needed to reduce barriers to vaccine access and to ensure available, consistent, and frequent supply of vaccines within communities, to address vaccine hesitancy. Keywords: Yellow fever, vaccine hesitancy, vaccines, parents and caregivers, Kyetume, Mukono.