Malaria is one of the most common and deadly diseases in the world, with Africa accounting for the vast majority of cases and deaths. Efforts to develop an effective malaria vaccine are currently underway, and several vaccine prototypes are in various stages of clinical testing. The current study aimed to map Mozambican parents’ willingness to get their children vaccinated and compare the results with findings from a similar study conducted in Togo. In Mozambique, 227 parents indicated a willingness to have their children vaccinated against malaria under a variety of conditions that varied according to the main constructs of health-protective theories: perceived risk of getting malaria, perceived severity of malaria, effectiveness of the vaccine, cost of the vaccine, and neighbors’ attitude toward vaccination. Cluster analysis, ANOVA, and the Ch2 test were used to analyze participant responses. Cost; Neighbors, Risk, and Cost; Treatment, Risk, and Cost; Always Vaccinate; Risk and Cost; and Risk, Treatment, Effectiveness, and Cost were the six qualitatively different positions identified.
A similar range of parental views on malaria vaccination was discovered in Mozambique and Togo, implying that malaria vaccination campaigns in Sub-Saharan African countries must be tailored in design and implementation to meet the diverse needs and views of parents.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2019.1667728
