Increasing rotavirus vaccine uptake in children: a
randomised controlled trial (abridged secondary publication)
KHT Yeung1, WH Tam2, GPG Fung1, EAS Nelson1,3
1 Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
3 School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- An intervention package containing a voucher for free rotavirus vaccine, key information about rotavirus, and vaccination reminders increased rotavirus vaccine uptake among Hong Kong children by 1.7-fold or 33 percentage points (from 48% to 81%), regardless of mothers’ initial plans concerning rotavirus vaccination during the immediate postpartum period.
- The effect of the intervention package was greatest in low-income families. This indicates that removal of financial barriers to vaccination may promote vaccine uptake equity.
- The provision of key information about rotavirus and vaccination reminders substantially increased vaccine uptake in lower-income families potentially by enhancing mothers’ perceptions of rotavirus vaccine benefits and their self-efficacy.
- The intervention package strengthened mothers’ confidence in decision to vaccinate their children.
- In the absence of the voucher for rotavirus vaccination, the main reason mothers cited for not vaccinating their children was that the vaccine is excluded from Hong Kong’s routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.