Journal of General and Family Medicine (Jul 2023)

The relationship between having a usual source of primary care and COVID‐19 parental vaccine hesitancy: A nationwide survey among Japanese mothers

  • Kenya Ie,
  • Mio Kushibuchi,
  • Tomoya Tsuchida,
  • Iori Motohashi,
  • Masanori Hirose,
  • Steven M. Albert,
  • Miyako Kimura

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/jgf2.623
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 4
pp. 215 – 222

Abstract

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Abstract Background Studies have shown that a usual source of care increases the receipt of child preventive care; however, the relationship between having a usual source of primary care and COVID‐19 parental vaccine hesitancy has not been fully investigated. The aims of this study were to elucidate the characteristics of mothers with a primary care physician, and to explore the relationship between having a usual source of primary care and COVID‐19 parental vaccine hesitancy among mothers in Japan. Method This cross‐sectional survey‐based study included 4516 mothers. Using a chi‐square test, the characteristics of mothers with and without a primary care physician were compared. Poisson regression was applied to evaluate the relationship between having a usual source of primary care and parental COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy. Results Mothers with a usual source of primary care had higher education, lower mental distress, had younger children, and were less hesitant toward the child's COVID‐19 vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy was observed in 39.8% of mothers with a usual source of primary care and 45.5% of those without. Poisson regression analysis showed that mothers with a primary care physician were less vaccine‐hesitant (IRR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.84–0.96) after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion This study suggested that having a usual source of primary care may contribute to lower parental COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy. However, the high vaccine hesitancy rate, even among mothers with a usual source of primary care, warrants healthcare providers to be equipped to help parents make informed decisions about vaccination through the continuity of care.

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