Assessing the longitudinal effects of the continuation and discontinuation of the school-located influenza vaccination programme on parental vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong.

This article examines the longitudinal impact of school-located influenza vaccination programmes (SIVP) on parental vaccine hesitancy and childhood seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) uptake in Hong Kong. The study found that consistent participation or late initiation of SIVP by schools was associated with higher childhood SIV uptake and lower parental vaccine hesitancy, while discontinuation or persistent non-participation correlated with increased hesitancy and reduced vaccination rates. Structural equation modeling indicated that positive parental attitudes towards SIVP at baseline predicted higher pro-vaccine attitudes and lower vaccine hesitancy at follow-up, which in turn increased intention to vaccinate children. The findings suggest that initiating and maintaining SIVP can effectively reduce parental vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccination coverage, whereas discontinuation or resistance to SIVP may undermine these outcomes.