A conjoint analysis of stated vaccine preferences in Shanghai, China

It is not clear what kind of preferences parents in China would have for vaccines that could be added to a future immunization schedule. This study's aim was to assess Chinese parents' preferences for attributes of vaccines. We surveyed parents of young infants ≤3 months of age at immunization clinics in Shanghai, China, in 2017. We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to present parents with choices between two hypothetical profiles of vaccines which were described using the following attributes: cost, risk of side effect, location of vaccine manufacturer, vaccine testing, vaccine effectiveness, severity of disease, disease prevalence. A logistic regression output estimates of preference utilities. In total, 599 caregivers completed the DCE. Parents expressed lower preference for vaccines with a 30% chance of fever as an adverse event vs a 10% chance (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.64), for vaccines only 85% effective vs those 95% effective (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.62), and for imported vaccines (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.92) and those not tested in Chinese children (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.53) compared to domestic vaccines. More affluent groups preferred more expensive vaccines whereas less affluent groups did not express cost-based preferences. Promotion of vaccines in China should focus on parents' stated preferences, which include past testing done in Chinese children - which is, in fact, required of all licensed vaccines in China. Information about these trials could emphasize low risk of adverse events and high effectiveness.