Identifying Factors Influencing Parental Vaccination Hesitancy in Faisalabad: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract Objective This study aims to determine vaccine hesitancy among parents, various factors influencing parental vaccine hesitancy using World Health Organisations (WHO) SAGE working group on vaccine hesitancy survey tool and to give recommendations to authorities about major factors contributing to vaccination hesitancy in Faisalabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. Methods A total of 309 participant's data was analyzed using bivariate and multivariate techniques which includes chi square test and logistic regression to assess vaccine hesitancy. The study examined the impact of child characteristics (sex, age), maternal characteristics (education, employment status, mobile phone ownership), parental characteristics (education, employment status, mobile phone ownership, involvement in child care), household characteristics (family size, amenities, food insecurity, and parental depression), and exposure to negative information on vaccination. Results The analysis revealed that maternal education, mobile phone ownership, parental education, paternal involvement in child care, food insecurity, parental depression, and exposure to negative information significantly influenced parental vaccine hesitancy. Gender of the child showed a slight association with vaccine hesitancy. Among the participants, 74% were female, and 26% were male, with 60.8% of the children being male. The majority of parents (94.5%) recognized the benefits of childhood vaccination, but 13.5% refused vaccination for their children. Conclusion Vaccine hesitancy in Faisalabad District is influenced by various socio-economic and informational factors. Efforts to address these issues, particularly focusing on enhancing maternal education, improving accessibility, and countering misinformation, may reduce vaccination refusal rates and improve immunization coverage in the region.