Vaccine hesitancy among parents in Yogyakarta province, Indonesia: A cross sectional study

Vaccine hesitancy was defined as behavior to postpone or to reject the vaccination regardless of the accessibility of services. It’s a barrier to using available immunization services in consequence of a lack of confidence in the safety of the vaccine. The study aimed to address parents’ hesitancy toward childhood vaccination and to investigate the associated factors that influence parental knowledge and practice toward their children vaccination. A cross sectional study with a validated and pre-tested questionnaire was conducted. About 620 parents invited to participate in the study and selected from the five districts of Yogyakarta province in the period between March and August 2018. The questionnaire consisted of three sections that collected information on participants’ demographics, parents’ knowledge of vaccine benefits, and parents’ practices regarding the vaccination of their children. The study participants were female and having at least one child aged less than five years in the family in majority. Mass media and health professionals reported as the main source of information toward vaccinations. Majority of parents were strongly agreed with practicing the complete of the vaccinations which are recommended for children up to five years of aged. Nevertheless, the high number of parents declared that healthy children are not necessary to vaccinate. The study revealed that the significant correlation between parental educational status, knowledge about vaccination, family income, source of information, number of children aged five years and type of residency with the parents’ hesitancy. In conclusion, non-bias sources of information prevent the misperception regarding vaccinations. Furthermore, parental knowledge and practice may be a critical determinant toward childhood vaccination.