Adoma Prince Owusu, Acquah Francis, Yakubu Abubakari, Cudjoe Linda, Achiam Wisdom Kwaku Kwaku, Agorinya Isaiah Awintuen
Department of Health Administration and Education, University of Education - Winneba, Winneba - C/R, Accra, Ghana.
Business and Resource Centre-Yendi, Rural Enterprise Programme, Ministry of Trade, Accra, Ghana.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 23;15(1):26711. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-01616-9.
Malaria remains one of the leading public health threats to children in the sub-Saharan region. Despite the development of the malaria vaccine, widespread adoption continues to be a challenge. This paper explores the factors that influence community engagement as a plausible strategy in promoting the uptake of the malaria vaccine among children under five. A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study design was employed using structured questionnaires. Using a systematic sampling method, a sample of 1,183 was recruited based on sample size table for 2,500 under five population. The study utilized bivariate analysis and random forest analysis to identify important factors influencing community participation in malaria vaccine promotion. The results from the random forest analysis highlighted perception of vaccine effectiveness, educational level, and age as the most relevant factors influencing community engagement. Additionally, the study identified vaccine safety and acceptability as moderate factors that could significantly contribute to promoting community engagement as a strategy for increasing malaria vaccine uptake among children under five. The findings further highlight that individuals with high educational attainment tend to prioritize vaccine effectiveness and safety, while those with lower educational attainment prioritize factors such as vaccine cost and cultural considerations to effectiveness. By tailoring educational programs to address demographic variations in perceptions of vaccine efficacy, community engagement can be leveraged to promote widespread uptake of the malaria vaccine among children under five.
疟疾仍然是撒哈拉以南地区儿童面临的主要公共卫生威胁之一。尽管疟疾疫苗已经研发出来，但广泛推广仍然是一项挑战。本文探讨了影响社区参与的因素，将其作为促进五岁以下儿童接种疟疾疫苗的一种可行策略。采用结构化问卷进行描述性和分析性横断面研究设计。使用系统抽样方法，根据2500名五岁以下人口的样本量表，招募了1183个样本。该研究利用双变量分析和随机森林分析来确定影响社区参与疟疾疫苗推广的重要因素。随机森林分析结果突出了对疫苗有效性的认知、教育水平和年龄是影响社区参与的最相关因素。此外，该研究确定疫苗安全性和可接受性是中度因素，可显著促进社区参与，作为增加五岁以下儿童疟疾疫苗接种率的策略。研究结果进一步表明，高学历者往往优先考虑疫苗有效性和安全性，而低学历者则优先考虑疫苗成本和文化因素等对有效性的影响。通过调整教育项目以应对疫苗效力认知方面的人口差异，可以利用社区参与来促进五岁以下儿童广泛接种疟疾疫苗。
