Preparing for Future Pandemics: Lessons from Parental COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy.

Introduction: The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed persistent challenges, particularly vaccine hesitancy. This study aims to identify factors influencing parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, which may help inform strategies to improve vaccine uptake in dealing with future re-emerging or novel infectious diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2023 to June 2024 involving 809 parents of children aged 5-11 years old, attending four primary care clinics in the Klang Valley. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression to assess associations between demographic, socioeconomic, and perception-related factors and vaccine hesitancy. Ethical approval of the study was obtained from the MREC. Results: In bivariate analysis, higher parental education, better financial status, and prior vaccination were significantly associated with lower vaccine hesitancy. When adjusted to potential confounders, parents with higher knowledge scores (OR = 0.83, p = 0.005), stronger trust in vaccine safety (OR 7.63, p < 0.001), and greater physician influence (OR = 0.20, p < 0.001) were more likely to vaccinate their children. Conversely, higher mistrust (OR = 2.05, p = 0.005) increased hesitancy. The predictive model had strong discriminative performance (AUC = 0.877). Conclusion: Parental vaccine hesitancy reflects broader public concerns around safety, trust, and information credibility. Preparing for future pandemics would require better patient education strategies to address these concerns and improve vaccine literacy. As trusted figures in primary care, family physicians are uniquely positioned to guide conversations, counter misinformation, and promote vaccine confidence within our communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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