Understanding hepatitis E vaccination intention among women of childbearing-age: A theory-based cross-sectional study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the HEV vaccination intention, its determinants, and overall influence mechanisms among childbearing-age women.

The current study was cross-sectional and conducted online from June 25, 2023 to September 25, 2023 in Nanjing, China. Logistic regression models were constructed to identify the intention-associated background factors. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) were integrated and expanded as TAM-TPB model to further investigate the determinants and overall influence mechanism of HEV vaccination intention among this population using structural equation modeling.

A total of 423 eligible participants were included in this study. High general HEV knowledge was independently associated with an increased intention to get HEV vaccination (OR = 1.97, 95 % CI: 1.11-3.58, P = 0.023). All the hypotheses proposed in the theoretical TAM-TPB model were supported, with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control positively affecting the intention of HEV vaccination (all P values <0.05), while perceived risk (P = 0.003) exhibited an inverse association with HEV vaccination intention. The model achieved an acceptable fit, and the total explained variance of HEV vaccination intention was as high as 86.20 %. Moreover, no significant common method bias was observed.

This is the first theory-based study that explored the HEV vaccination intention, its determinants, and overall influence mechanism among childbearing-age women. The results of the current study are of great importance for improving the understanding of the HEV vaccination intention among females of childbearing age.