Insights into vaccine hesitancy among indian parents: a systematic review

Introduction: Vaccines are some of the most cost-effective public health interventions for reducing disease burden and mortality. However, in recent years, health systems have faced a growing challenge with an increasing number of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. Vaccine hesitancy refers to all kinds of concerns that parents express by refusing some vaccines, delaying vaccines or accepting others. Primary care providers play a crucial role in promoting prevention and education interventions to achieve high immunization rates. Aim & Objective:To interpret the prevalence and major factors behind the hesitancy of vaccination among Indian Parents.Methodology: A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature Indexed in Google Scholar and PubMed was done using search strings “Vaccination AND (Hesitancy OR Resistance) AND (Paediatric OR Parents) AND India”. Results from over 15 published articles met the Inclusion criteria and formed the final basis for the reason for Vaccine hesitancy in parents. Results: On interpretation, there is a significant result on parent’s hesitancy over paediatric vaccination. Many factors were found to be contributing, mainly parent’s knowledge of vaccines was poor. Unemployed and pregnant mothers expecting their first child were found as more vaccine-hesitant. The majority of parents were concerned about the safety, side effects, and efficacy of childhood vaccines. Birth order is also one of the most significant risk factors. Conclusion: Effective strategies like access to accurate information, addressing parent’s specific concerns and building trust and educating parents will combat hesitancy.