Effectiveness of a Web-Based Educational Intervention on Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Vaccine Hesitancy Toward Childhood Immunization: A Pre–Post Study
Shimmaa Mansour Moustafa Mohamed, Mohammed Owayrif Alanazi, Mohammed Hassan Moreljwab, Rasha Abd Elateef Abd Elaziz Ramadan, Nesreen Mosbah Elsayed Mohamed, Amani Mahmoud Fadul Mokhtar, Faten Mohammady Saad Radwan, Abdelrahman Fawzi Alessawi, Khaled HaidarBackground
Vaccine hesitancy remains a significant public health concern that may contribute to delayed childhood immunization. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a web-based educational intervention on parental knowledge, attitudes, and vaccine hesitancy toward childhood immunization among Saudi parents.
Methods
A quasi-experimental single-group pre–post intervention study was conducted. Parents or primary caregivers of children aged 0–24 months completed an online questionnaire immediately before and immediately after exposure to a culturally adapted web-based educational intervention.
Results
A total of 360 parents participated in the study. The intervention was associated with significant short-term improvements in parental knowledge, attitudes, and vaccine confidence immediately following exposure to the educational intervention. Parents demonstrated greater confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness, increased trust in vaccine-related information, and fewer misconceptions regarding vaccination timing and common post-vaccination reactions. High levels of participant satisfaction with the intervention were also observed.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that the culturally adapted web-based educational intervention was associated with immediate improvements in parental knowledge, attitudes, and vaccine confidence among Saudi parents. Because the study employed a single-group pre–post design with immediate post-intervention assessment, further randomized controlled studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine whether these improvements are sustained over time.