Dengue vaccine acceptance and associated factors among parents and caregivers at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center outpatient department: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND@#The DOH has recently launched the first ever dengue vaccine that has successfully completed phase III clinical trials but an assessment of the general acceptance of the vaccine is widely lacking. @*OBJECTIVES@# This study determined the dengue vaccine acceptance and the factors associated with acceptance as well as the knowledge, attitudes and practices on dengue fever among parents and caregivers at the PCMC-OPD.@*METHODS@#A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was done at the PCMC-OPD using selfadministered questionnaires regarding the KAP on dengue fever and vaccine acceptance. Multivariate analysis and Spearman’s rank correlation were used to determine predictors of DV acceptance.@*RESULTS@#We found that DV acceptance among the participants was 81.3% (113 out of 139). Educational attainment, employment status, and monthly income are significantly associated with acceptance of dengue vaccine, and being female contributed to high acceptance. DV acceptance was strongly correlated with a lower income class. Educational attainment and employment status seem to affect DV acceptance but are not strong predictors.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The DV acceptance rate of the parents and caregivers of patients consulting at PCMC-OPD was high. The most important factors associated with acceptance are educational attainment, employment status and income class.@*RECOMMENDATIONS@#A similar study may be conducted with a larger population to study target populations in the Philippines. This kind of study can be utilized to formulate new strategies addressing the awareness and acceptance of the community for the new dengue vaccine.