Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Pervasive Parental Hesitancy Towards Measles Rubella Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jordan Using the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) Instrument

Muna Barakat
ORCID logo ,
Maram Abdaljaleel
ORCID logo ,
Nada Atawneh
,
Rawan Alkhazaleh
,
Dana Aburumman
,
Eman Hamed
,
Malik Sallam
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 13 October 2023 / Approved: 13 October 2023 / Online: 16 October 2023 (09:54:20 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Barakat, M.; Abdaljaleel, M.; Atawneh, N.; Alkhazaleh, R.; Aburumman, D.; Hamed, E.; Sallam, M. Pervasive Parental Hesitancy and Resistance Towards Measles Rubella Vaccination in Jordan. Vaccines 2023, 11, 1672. Barakat, M.; Abdaljaleel, M.; Atawneh, N.; Alkhazaleh, R.; Aburumman, D.; Hamed, E.; Sallam, M. Pervasive Parental Hesitancy and Resistance Towards Measles Rubella Vaccination in Jordan. Vaccines 2023, 11, 1672.

Abstract

Measles remains a highly contagious and potentially severe infectious disease, necessitating high vaccine coverage. However, misinformation and measles vaccine hesitancy/resistance posed significant challenges to achieving this goal. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges, leading to a measles outbreak in Jordan in 2023. This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine among parents in Jordan and identify its associated determinants. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted using a previously Arabic-validated version of the Parental Attitudes towards Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey instrument. Data collection took place in October 2023, and the final study sample comprised a total of 391 parents, with mothers representing 69.8% of the participants (n = 273). The majority of participating parents expressed either resistance (n = 169, 43.2%) or hesitancy (n = 168, 43.0%) towards MR vaccination, while only 54 participants (13.8%) expressed MR vaccine acceptance. Multivariate analysis revealed that trust in vaccine safety/efficacy, behavior, and having fewer offspring were significantly associated with MR vaccine acceptance. The current study revealed a concerning level of MR vaccine hesitancy/resistance among parents in Jordan. Urgent and targeted interventions are strongly recommended to address this issue, including mass campaigns aimed at building trust in the MR vaccine safety/efficacy. Additionally, there is an urgent need for effective public health initiatives to ensure sufficient measles vaccine coverage to prevent future outbreaks of this serious disease.

Keywords

patient acceptance of health care; health knowledge; attitudes; practice; surveys and questionnaires; measles vaccine; parents

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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