IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i5p2721-d759339.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Insights into Predictors of Vaccine Hesitancy and Promoting Factors in Childhood Immunization Programs—A Cross-Sectional Survey in Cameroon

Author

Listed:
  • Jonas Kemeugni Ngandjon

    (Institute of Pediatric, Faculty of Health, University of Witten/Herdecke, 58448 Witten, Germany)

  • Thomas Ostermann

    (Department for Psychology and Statistics, Faculty of Health, University of Witten/Herdecke, 58448 Witten, Germany)

  • Virgile Kenmoue

    (Department for Human Medicine , Faculty of Health, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté BP 208, Cameroon)

  • Alfred Laengler

    (Department for Human Medicine, Institute of Pediatric, Faculty of Health, University of Witten/Herdecke, 58448 Witten, Germany)

Abstract

Background: Vaccination is claimed to be a key intervention against the COVID-19 pandemic. A major challenge today is to increase vaccine acceptance as vaccine hesitancy has delayed the eradication of polio. This study aimed to identify predictors associated with vaccine acceptance in the context of the Expanded Program on Immunization among parents of children between the ages of 12 to 23 months in the Foumbot district, Cameroon. Methods: The design of this study is a cross-sectional survey. A total of 160 mothers of children between the ages of 12 to 23 months were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Incomplete vaccination status was considered “vaccine hesitancy”. Data was analyzed along with 95% confidence intervals and the p -value < 0.05. The results showed 60% vaccine acceptance and 40% vaccine hesitancy. Factors such as age-appropriate vaccination, knowledge of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD), and religion were associated with vaccine acceptance. Conclusion: Poor knowledge of VPDs is a matter of concern as it contributes to vaccine hesitancy. The study findings provide the basis to heighten health education, the public perceived threat of the VPDs, and the consequences if no measures are taken to ensure health.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonas Kemeugni Ngandjon & Thomas Ostermann & Virgile Kenmoue & Alfred Laengler, 2022. "Insights into Predictors of Vaccine Hesitancy and Promoting Factors in Childhood Immunization Programs—A Cross-Sectional Survey in Cameroon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2721-:d:759339
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/5/2721/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/5/2721/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Streefland, Pieter & Chowdhury, A. M. R. & Ramos-Jimenez, Pilar, 1999. "Patterns of vaccination acceptance," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 49(12), pages 1705-1716, December.
    2. Gore, Prasanna & Madhavan, Suresh & Curry, David & McClung, Gordon & Castiglia, Mary & Rosenbluth, Sidney A. & Smego, Raymond A., 1999. "Predictors of childhood immunization completion in a rural population," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1011-1027, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Poltorak, Mike & Leach, Melissa & Fairhead, James & Cassell, Jackie, 2005. "'MMR talk' and vaccination choices: An ethnographic study in Brighton," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 709-719, August.
    2. Manca, Terra, 2018. "Fear, rationality, and risky others: A qualitative analysis of physicians' and nurses' accounts of popular vaccine narratives," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 119-125.
    3. Naoko Ueada, 2018. "The Hearts, Minds, and Sentiments: The Volunteers Program in the Immunization Program in Bangladesh and the Chagas Diseases Control Project of Honduras," Working Papers 162, JICA Research Institute.
    4. Leach, Melissa & MacGregor, Hayley & Akello, Grace & Babawo, Lawrence & Baluku, Moses & Desclaux, Alice & Grant, Catherine & Kamara, Foday & Nyakoi, Marion & Parker, Melissa & Richards, Paul & Mokuwa,, 2022. "Vaccine anxieties, vaccine preparedness: Perspectives from Africa in a Covid-19 era," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    5. Jamison, Amelia M. & Quinn, Sandra Crouse & Freimuth, Vicki S., 2019. "“You don't trust a government vaccine”: Narratives of institutional trust and influenza vaccination among African American and white adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 87-94.
    6. Mylan, Sophie, 2024. "Suspicious business: COVID-19 vaccination in Palabek refugee settlement, northern Uganda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 346(C).
    7. Parashar, Sangeeta, 2005. "Moving beyond the mother-child dyad: Women's education, child immunization, and the importance of context in rural India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 989-1000, September.
    8. Jane Hall & Patricia Kenny & Madeleine King & Jordan Louviere & Rosalie Viney & Angela Yeoh, 2002. "Using stated preference discrete choice modelling to evaluate the introduction of varicella vaccination," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(5), pages 457-465, July.
    9. Arthur Juet, 2023. "The Online Vaccination Debate : The Case of France," Working Papers hal-04053614, HAL.
    10. Lauren E. Latella & Robert J. McAuley & Mitchell Rabinowitz, 2018. "Beliefs about Vaccinations: Comparing a Sample from a Medical School to That from the General Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-13, March.
    11. Vanderslott, Samantha & Enria, Luisa & Bowmer, Alex & Kamara, Abass & Lees, Shelley, 2022. "Attributing public ignorance in vaccination narratives," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    12. Streefland, Pieter H., 2001. "Public doubts about vaccination safety and resistance against vaccination," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 159-172, March.
    13. Athias, Laure & Macina, Moudo, 2022. "Demand for vaccination in Sub-Saharan Africa: The vertical legacy of the slave trade," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    14. Makarovs, Kirils & Achterberg, Peter, 2017. "Contextualizing educational differences in “vaccination uptake”: A thirty nation survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 1-10.
    15. Casiday, Rachel Elizabeth, 2007. "Children's health and the social theory of risk: Insights from the British measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) controversy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(5), pages 1059-1070, September.
    16. Katharina Muhlhoff, 2021. "Why Covid19 will not be gone soon: Lessons from the institutional economics of smallpox vaccination in 19th Century Germany," Working Papers 0208, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    17. Tracey Chantler & Emilie Karafillakis & Samuel Wodajo & Shiferaw Dechasa Demissie & Bersabeh Sile & Siraj Mohammed & Comfort Olorunsaiye & Justine Landegger & Heidi J. Larson, 2018. "‘We All Work Together to Vaccinate the Child’: A Formative Evaluation of a Community-Engagement Strategy Aimed at Closing the Immunization Gap in North-West Ethiopia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-12, April.
    18. Katie Attwell & Samantha B. Meyer & Paul R. Ward, 2018. "The Social Basis of Vaccine Questioning and Refusal: A Qualitative Study Employing Bourdieu’s Concepts of ‘Capitals’ and ‘Habitus’," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, May.
    19. Geelen, Els & van Vliet, Hans & de Hoogh, Pieter & Horstman, Klasien, 2016. "Taming the fear of voice: Dilemmas in maintaining a high vaccination rate in the Netherlands," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 12-19.
    20. Blume, Stuart, 2006. "Anti-vaccination movements and their interpretations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 628-642, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2721-:d:759339. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.