Parental Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Childhood Vaccination in Osh, Kyrgyz Republic: a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Vaccination remains a key tool for reducing the incidence of infectious diseases in children. Despite the proven effectiveness of immunization, vaccine hesitancy among parents has been increasing in recent years, which may negatively impact immunization coverage. This study aims to examine parents' attitudes toward vaccination, assess their awareness, identify reasons for refusal and postponement of vaccinations, and determine the sources of information that influence immunization decisions. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study based on an online survey of 710 parents living in Osh, Kyrgyz Republic. The questionnaire included sections on socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes toward vaccination, vaccination practices, awareness, reasons for refusal and postponement, as well as sources of information and their level of trust. Statistical processing of the data was performed using descriptive and comparative statistics, correlation and multivariate analysis. It was found that 66.6% of parents fully support vaccination, but 19.6% express concerns, and 8.3% oppose it. Furthermore, 34.4% of respondents have postponed vaccination, and 18.2% have refused it. The average level of knowledge about vaccination was 2.88 out of 5. The main factors associated with refusal were fear of adverse reactions, anxiety about complications, and lack of information. Healthcare professionals were the most significant and trusted source of information. These findings indicate that vaccine hesitancy among parents is influenced by a combination of information gaps, concerns about vaccine safety, and trust in healthcare professionals. This justifies the need to strengthen pre-vaccination counseling and develop informational activities that address the main causes of parental hesitancy and refusal.