Knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and barriers associated with the uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine among parents of children attending a University Hospital in Egypt

Background: Influenza vaccine remains the most effective method of preventing and controlling seasonal influenza infection. The objective was to assess the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and barriers related to the administration of seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) among parents of children attending the Mansoura University Children’s Hospital (MUCH).Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at MUCH. The target was parents of Egyptian children aged 6 months or more. An interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire, including socio-demographic data, assessment of knowledge, awareness, attitude, barriers toward influenza vaccine and the definition of the source of information.Results: A total of 195 parents were included. Over half (55.4%) of parents possessed good knowledge about the influenza vaccine, while the remaining portion displayed poor knowledge. However, a concerning majority (62.1%) held inappropriate attitudes towards vaccination. Independent predictors for good knowledge and appropriate attitude were parents with high socioeconomic class (OR=11.6 and 6.1, respectively) and highly educated mothers (OR=8.7 and 5.7, respectively). Independent predictors for positive beliefs were parents with high socioeconomic class (OR=5.5), fathers older than 32 years (OR=3.6), and parents living in urban residence (OR=2.5). The main barriers for SIV vaccination were limited efficacy (37.9%), being not mandatory (33.3%), and concerns about side effects and safety (26.6%).Conclusion: Parents' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about flu vaccination play a significant role in flu vaccination of their children. Interventions aiming to improve parents' awareness about flu vaccination and to address their concerns could be an effective way to increase flu vaccination rates among children.