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HPV vaccine uptake remains low in China, especially among girls. Recently, China has initiated a pilot program on HPV immunization for girls 9-14. From November to December 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of girls 9-14 in China through a web-based anonymous online questionnaire survey. Descriptive epidemiological analysis was used to analyze parental acceptability. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling were to determine associated factors. A total of 5623 participants were included in the analysis. 21.2% girls had received HPV vaccine, and 94.3% parents intended to receive vaccination for their daughters, the Kappa values between them was -0.016. 31.9% of vaccinated mothers had received HPV vaccine for their daughters, vaccination history had a positive impact on behavior ( β  = 0.048). Attitude ( β  = 0.186), subjective norms ( β  = 0.148) and perceived behavioral control ( β  = 0.648) had a positive impact on intention. Vaccination intention mediated the relationships between attitude ( β  = 0.044), subjective norms ( β  = 0.035), and perceived behavioral control ( β  = 0.154) with behavior. There is a gap between vaccination intention and behavior in parents of girls 9-14. Perceived behavior control had a strong association on HPV vaccination behavior.

Evidence for the validity and reliability of the World Health Organization's 10-item vaccine hesitancy scale (VHS) in different settings is not sufficient, especially for criteria validity. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the VHS using child vaccination data in China. A cross-sectional survey was performed with parents of 19-48-month-old children at six vaccination clinics in Wuxi City between September and October 2020. The VHS was revised to category A (expanded program on immunization, EPI) VHS and category B (Non-EPI) VHS. Factor analysis was used to confirm the latent domain and to assess the model structure. The average variance extracted (AVE) was calculated to assess convergent validity, and Cronbach's α and composite reliability (CR) were used to determine internal consistency. The association between VHS scores and children's vaccination status was examined to assess criteria validity using logistic regression. The survey response rate was 75.3% (n = 802). Two factors were identified, explaining 64.60% and 63.34% of the common variance in categories A and B VHS, respectively. The Cronbach's α of > 0.7 and CR of >0.7 in the scale indicated the VHS has acceptable internal consistency. The AVE values indicated that convergent validity was not ideal for the VHS. There were no statistically significant associations between VHS scores and vaccination status, indicating that the criterion validity was not ideal. The VHS needs improvement before becoming a standard survey tool.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy was listed as one of the top 10 issues threatening global health in 2019. The objectives of this study were to (a) use an extended protection motivation theory (PMT) with an added trust component to identify predictors of vaccine hesitancy and (b) explore the predictive ability of vaccine hesitancy on vaccination behavior., Methods: We conducted an online questionnaire from February 9 to April 9, 2021, in China. The target population was Chinese residents aged 18 and over. A total of 14,236 responses were received. Structural equation modeling was used to test the extended PMT model hypotheses., Results: A total of 10,379 participants were finally included in this study, of whom 52.0% showed hesitancy toward vaccination. 2854 (27.5%) participants reported that they got flu shots in the past year, and 2561 (24.7%) participants were vaccinated against COVID-19. 2857 (27.5%) participants engaged in healthcare occupation. The model explained 85.7% variance of vaccine hesitancy. Self-efficacy was the strongest predictor, negatively associated with vaccine hesitancy ( β  = -0.584; p < .001). Response efficacy had a negative effect on vaccine hesitancy ( β  = -0.372; p < .001), while threat appraisal showed a positive effect ( β  = 0.104; p < .001). Compared with non-health workers, health workers showed more vaccine hesitancy, and response efficacy was the strongest predictor ( β  = -0.560; p < .001). Vaccine hesitancy had a negative effect on vaccination behavior ( β  = -0.483; p < .001), and the model explained 23.4% variance of vaccination behavior., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the extended PMT model is efficient in explaining vaccine hesitancy. However, the predictive ability of vaccine hesitancy on vaccination behavior is limited.

Background: Pregnant women's influenza vaccination uptake was low, although being recommended as a priority., Research Design and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey in China from June to July 2021. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling were performed based on the extended theory of planned behavior, in which attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention each affect vaccine hesitancy; response efficacy, knowledge, vulnerability, and severity were added as extended dimensions; vaccination history played as a moderator., Results: Totally, 1283 pregnant women participated in this study. The intention existed as a mediator between attitude [β indirect  = 0.142 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.084, 0.206), P < 0.001], subjective norms [β indirect  = 0.568 (95%CI: 0.424, 0.754), P < 0.001], perceived behavioral control [β indirect  = 0.070 (95%CI: 0.025, 0.118), P = 0.004] and vaccine hesitancy. Further, indirect effect differences between the two dimensions of attitude (P < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001), and subjective norms were each statistically significant. Vaccination history did not moderate the association between attitude (P = 0.679), subjective norms (P = 0.645), and hesitancy., Conclusions: The subjective norms dimension has a strong association with influenza vaccine hesitancy. Vaccination history was limited to reduce hesitancy.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine childhood vaccination delay, explore the association between vaccination delay and parental vaccine hesitancy, and assess childhood vaccination delays during the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic in China., Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Wuxi City. Participants were recruited from local vaccination clinics. Questionnaires were used to collect information about socio-demographics, vaccine hesitancy, and immunization clinic evaluations. Vaccination records were obtained from the Jiangsu Information Management System of Vaccination Cases., Results: Overall, 2728 participants were included. The coverage for seven category A vaccines (Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI)) was more than 95% at 24 months. The proportion of children vaccinated in a timely manner was the highest for the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine (91.6%) and the lowest for the Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin vaccine (44.6%). More than 50% of the planned vaccinations were delayed in February and March 2020. The Vaccine Hesitancy Scale scores were not associated with vaccination delay (P = 0.842). Children's vaccination delays were negatively associated with parents who reported convenient access to clinics and satisfaction with immunization services (P = 0.020, P = 0.045)., Conclusions: EPI is highly successful in China. Despite vaccination delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, coverage was recovered after lockdown restrictions were eased.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is one of the top ten health threats. We aimed to (1) assess parental Category B vaccines hesitancy and associated sociodemographic factors in China, and (2) explore the association between attitude toward vaccines and self-reported hesitant behavior., Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed through a web-based anonymous online questionnaire survey between 9 February and 7 April 2021. Chinese parents aged ≥ 18 years with one child aged < 6 years were included to assess vaccine hesitancy using the vaccine-hesitancy scale (VHS). Structural equation model was used to determine relationships between variables., Results: Of 2952 Chinese parents included in the analysis, 17.5% were highly hesitant in Category B vaccines. Parents who were younger, less educated, engaged in health-related occupations, and had been vaccinated against influenza in the past year were more hesitant when vaccinating their children ( P  < 0.001). VHS score accuracy to identify vaccine-hesitant behavior was acceptable, and the optimal cutoff was 37.50 (with 61.96% parental vaccine hesitancy). Parents who lack confidence or believe vaccines were risk were more likely to show vaccine hesitant behavior ( P < 0.001)., Conclusions: In China, effective interventions need to be implemented to eliminate parental Category B vaccines hesitancy.

This study evaluated different varicella vaccination strategies in Jiangsu province, China. A decision-tree Markov model was used to evaluate the cost effectiveness of various varicella vaccination strategies for children, including direct and selective vaccination (serotesting pre-vaccination). A cohort of one-year-old children was followed through 60 one-year Markov cycles. The parameter estimation was based on field work, the literature, and statistical yearbooks. We calculated the incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) using the saved quality-adjusted life year (QALY). One-way and probability sensitivity analyses were performed to assess uncertainty. Among 100,000 cohort members, one-dose and two-dose direct vaccination averted 8061 and 10,701 varicella cases, respectively, compared with no vaccination. Furthermore, compared with no vaccination, one-dose and two-dose direct vaccination saved one QALY at the ICUR of USD 21,401.33 and USD 35,420.81, respectively, at less than three times the per capita gross domestic product (USD 47,626.86) of Jiangsu. The ICURs of the one-dose and two-dose selective strategies versus no vaccination were USD 42,623.62 and USD 51,406.35 per QALY gained, respectively. The cost effectiveness results were most sensitive to the QALY loss of outpatients and vaccine prices. Thus, in Jiangsu, one-dose and two-dose direct varicella vaccination in children could be cost effective at the willingness to pay threshold of three times provincial GDP per capita from a societal perspective. The findings were sensitive to the vaccine price and health utility of varicella cases.