Willingness to accept the Dengue vaccine among adult Malaysians – An online survey

Studying the willingness to accept a new vaccine helps better understand the consumer behavior to formulate strategies to improve its acceptance when rolled out on a large scale. An online survey using a quota sampling covering all Malaysian states and territories was conducted. A pretested and validated questionnaire covering willingness under four hypothetical scenarios of the Dengue vaccine on a Juster scale and factors related to Dengue knowledge, vaccine, and prevention was used. By multiple linear regression, we identified the factors associated with the Dengue vaccine willingness score. The respondents' mean age was 38.7 y (SD = 11.5). Mean willingness score for Dengue vaccine under development was highest if efficacy is 95% and no side effect was 7.9 (SD = 2.2), and an authorized Dengue vaccine if recommended by a physician was about 7.2 (SD = 2.3). The significant covariates positively associated with the willingness score were female sex, perceived susceptibility, knowledge about symptoms, beliefs about Dengue vaccination, and perceptions about Dengue prevention. In contrast, higher education, past Dengue infection, and vaccine-related concerns were negatively associated with willingness score. Our national survey indicates that willingness to accept the Dengue vaccine was positive. The positive association of perceptions toward disease susceptibility and severity, beliefs toward Dengue vaccination and preventive programs, with willingness, suggests a conducive ground for potential Dengue vaccine rollout. Public education be provided about the Dengue vaccine to address their concerns about the vaccine, and post-marketing surveillance be done.