Factors associated with the willingness of primary caregivers to avail of a dengue vaccine for their 9 to 14-year-olds in an urban community in the Philippines

To help address the need for preventive measures against dengue fever, a leading cause of child mortality in the Philippines, vaccine trials are ongoing and a tetravalent vaccine (Dengvaxia™, Sanofi Pasteur) has been developed. It is hypothesized that while acceptability would be high among primary caregivers (i.e., parents/guardians), the willingness to have one's child immunized against dengue would be associated with socio-demographic variables, attitudes and knowledge regarding dengue and vaccination, and past experience with dengue. This study aimed to assess the aforementioned factors’ association with primary caregivers’ willingness to avail of a dengue vaccine for their 9 to 14-year-old children in an urban community in the Philippines. A cross-sectional study utilizing interviews was conducted to determine which factors were associated with willingness-to-avail assuming a free vaccine, and a case study utilizing a focus group discussion was employed to capture some underlying reasons for their willingness. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression and thematic analysis. Among the 202 study participants, 193 (95.54%) were willing to avail of the vaccine. There was a high probability of vaccine acceptance by primary caregivers (95.54%), with good attitude towards vaccination (≥12/15 points) [aOR 10.62, 90% CI (1.73–26.28)] and large household size (>5) [aOR 9.63, 90% CI (2.04–45.58)] being positively associated with willingness-to-avail, and good knowledge regarding dengue fever [aOR 0.10, 90% CI (0.03–0.74)] and older age (>44 years) [aOR 0.14, 90% CI (0.03–0.61)] being negatively associated. Crude analysis showed that household size, knowledge regarding dengue, and attitude towards vaccination were significantly associated with willingness. Multivariate analysis revealed that these factors and the primary caregiver’s age were associated with willingness. Thematic analysis showed various perceptions regarding dengue and vaccination. Knowing these factors are associated with willingness-to-avail of the vaccine may help in understanding the audience of health promotion projects aimed at increasing immunization coverage.