TY - JOUR
T1 - Caregiver perceptions of the broader societal benefits of vaccination
T2 - A path toward sustainable vaccine advocacy in India
AU - Dhaliwal, Baldeep K.
AU - Rattani, Ananya
AU - Chandrashekhar, Riti
AU - Bloom, David E.
AU - Shet, Anita
AU - Seth, Rajeev
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Over the last decade growing public health evidence suggests that, in addition to health-related benefits, there are also social and economic benefits of vaccination. Research to understand how caregivers in low-and-middle-income countries perceive these social and economic benefits, or if these benefits factor into their vaccination decisions for their children, has been limited. Leveraging qualitative strategies to gain more nuanced insights into caregiver perceptions of vaccination benefits has also been significantly underexplored. We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 caregivers of children, at which point we reached saturation, in Mewat District, Haryana, an area in India with low vaccination coverage. Interview results suggest that caregivers of children associate positive health outcomes with vaccination programs, and some additional social and economic benefits beyond improved health outcomes. Caregivers also shared how local advocacy and gaps in vaccination programs can affect their perceptions of vaccination benefits. Qualitatively exploring the perceived benefits provides a unique understanding of the value that caregivers assign to vaccination and complements existing knowledge on factors that dissuade caregivers from vaccination. These insights will allow researchers to better identify and design context-specific advocacy strategies to strengthen vaccination programs in communities with low vaccine uptake and acceptance.
AB - Over the last decade growing public health evidence suggests that, in addition to health-related benefits, there are also social and economic benefits of vaccination. Research to understand how caregivers in low-and-middle-income countries perceive these social and economic benefits, or if these benefits factor into their vaccination decisions for their children, has been limited. Leveraging qualitative strategies to gain more nuanced insights into caregiver perceptions of vaccination benefits has also been significantly underexplored. We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 caregivers of children, at which point we reached saturation, in Mewat District, Haryana, an area in India with low vaccination coverage. Interview results suggest that caregivers of children associate positive health outcomes with vaccination programs, and some additional social and economic benefits beyond improved health outcomes. Caregivers also shared how local advocacy and gaps in vaccination programs can affect their perceptions of vaccination benefits. Qualitatively exploring the perceived benefits provides a unique understanding of the value that caregivers assign to vaccination and complements existing knowledge on factors that dissuade caregivers from vaccination. These insights will allow researchers to better identify and design context-specific advocacy strategies to strengthen vaccination programs in communities with low vaccine uptake and acceptance.
KW - Immunization
KW - Public health
KW - Qualitative
KW - Vaccine advocacy
KW - Vaccines
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100156
DO - 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100156
M3 - Article
C2 - 36531293
AN - SCOPUS:85151987418
SN - 2667-3215
VL - 2
JO - SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
JF - SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
M1 - 100156
ER -