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Preferences of Dutch Parents and Expectant Parents for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Strategies: A Discrete
Annefleur C Langedijk1, Floris van den Dungen2, Lisette Harteveld3
1Pfizer B.V., Rivium Westlaan 142, 2909 LD, Capelle aan den Ijssel, The Netherlands. annefleurchristel.langedijk@pfizer.com.
Insights
Dutch parents prefer maternal vaccines over infant injections for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevention. Including both strategies in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) could maximize infant protection.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a primary cause of severe respiratory infections in infants.
- Understanding parental preferences for RSV prevention is crucial for effective public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess Dutch parents' and expectant parents' preferences between maternal vaccination and infant monoclonal antibody (mAb) injections for RSV prevention.
- To identify key attributes influencing parental choice in RSV immunisation strategies.
Main Methods:
- An online survey with a discrete choice experiment was used.
- Participants evaluated hypothetical RSV immunisation options based on attributes like timing, cost, and recommendation.
- Preference weights and attribute importance were calculated.
Main Results:
- Parents favored immunisation administered to pregnant women, free of charge, recommended by a healthcare provider, and part of the National Immunisation Programme (NIP).
- The most significant factors influencing preferences were the timing/recipient of the injection and cost.
- Willingness to immunise was higher (89%) when both maternal and infant strategies were in the NIP compared to only infant mAb (74%).
Conclusions:
- Dutch parents lean towards maternal vaccines for infant RSV protection over infant mAb injections.
- Integrating both maternal and infant RSV prevention strategies into the NIP could improve vaccine uptake and infant protection.
- Further research is needed to confirm generalizability, as attributes were not exclusively presented in the context of RSV.
Introduction:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants. This study examined the preferences of Dutch parents and expectant parents for two RSV prevention strategies for infant protection: a maternal vaccine versus an infant monoclonal antibody (mAb) injection.
Methods:
An online survey including a discrete choice experiment was conducted. Participants chose between two immunisation options for 'a common virus among infants' that represented RSV. These differed based on six attributes: timing and recipient of the injection, costs, recommended by a healthcare provider (HCP), included in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP), administration location, and co-administered with other injections. The main outcomes were preference weights, conditional relative attribute importance (CRAI), and willingness to be immunised.
Results:
The survey was completed by 150 participants (90% female; 49% parents; 51% expectant parents; mean age 31.23 ± 5.61 years). Participants preferred an immunisation option that is administered to pregnant women [mean = 1.48 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-1.82)], free of charge [mean = 1.36 (95% CI 1.10-1.67)], recommended by an HCP [mean = 0.50 (95% CI, 0.34-0.66)], and included in the NIP [mean = 0.42 (95% CI, 0.26-0.58)]. The most important attributes were timing and recipient of the injection [CRAI = 32% (95% CI, 28-35%)] and costs [CRAI = 24% (95% CI, 20-28%)]. Willingness to be immunised was higher when the maternal vaccine and infant mAb injection were in the NIP than when only the infant mAb injection was available (89% vs 74%).
Conclusions:
The results suggest that most Dutch parents and expectant parents would prefer a maternal vaccine to an infant mAb injection to immunise their infants against an RSV-like virus. An NIP that incorporates both strategies may enhance uptake and protect the most infants. However, as the attributes were not exhaustively or explicitly presented in the context of RSV prevention, the results may not be completely transferable.
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