Adolescents Prefer Combination Meningococcal Vaccine to Separate MenACWY and MenB Administration a New Study Finds

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Findings from a qualitive study of adolescents and parents/caregivers in the US showed that adolescents expressed a preference for a combination vaccine covering serogroups A, B, C, W, Y of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) but that parents/caregivers had reservations.

Ther abstract will be presented during a poster session at IDWeek 2023, being held in Boston, MA, between October 12th and 15th.

“MenACWY and MenB are commonly used vaccines to prevent invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), targeting serogroups A, B, C, W, Y,” wrote study authors. “MenABCWY combination vaccines are under development and could provide increased vaccine coverage of serogroups.”

Researchers conducted the small qualitive study to identify the preferences and factors influencing the decision-making process of both adolescents aged 16-23 years (n=6; mean age, 21 years) and parents/caregivers of at least 1 child aged 16-18 years (n=7; mean age, 56 years) regarding the use of combination vaccines for IMD.

Investigators used information generated by a targeted literature review that examined preferences for features of a combination vaccine to design interview guides for 2 focus group discussions (FGD), 90-minutes each, with both groups.

“Participants were presented with IMD and vaccines information. Important/least important factors for decision-making were transcribed in response to open-ended/probes questions,” wrote researchers in the methods section of the abstract. “FGDs were coded to apply thematic assessment. Results were synthesized separately by moderator-probed and spontaneously mentioned themes. Percentages were calculated on participant numbers contributing to a theme.”

FINDINGS

According to the results, adolescents preferred a combination vaccine that provided time saving (100%) and convenience (83%) by reducing the number of injections in the immunization series (100%) and number of visits (100%).

Also, while parents/caregivers considered injection site discomfort (71%) an important decision factor for a combination vaccine for IMD, adolescents considered it the least important (100%).

One woman aged 23 years in the adolescent group, when asked about the least important decision factors for a combination vaccine, said: “…I guess the least important to me is short-term effects. If it’s a sore arm or a little red spot at the site of injection, that’s the least of my concerns.”

In comparison, a woman aged 45 years in the parent/caregiver group said, “I think that it’s more important to get it done in an appropriate, good way for the immune system than to shove all this stuff in them all at once, just to get it over with,” according to the abstract.

Both groups considered the impact on the health care system and the environment as least important when evaluating a combination vaccine, noted investigators.

In addition, researchers wrote that both groups expressed interest in cross-protection against other infectious disease and that several spontaneous themes emerged, such as duration of protection, effectiveness, side effects, and dosing interval during the FGDs. “These concepts were considered relevant for combination vaccine decision-making, although could be applicable to IMD vaccination more generally,” stated authors.

“The findings suggest vaccine-receivers preferred a combination vaccine covering serogroups A, B, C, W, Y, with simplified schedules (eg, fewer visits and injections) and potential cross-protection against other infectious diseases,” concluded investigators.

Source: The value of invasive meningococcal disease combination vaccine – A qualitative study of adolescents and parents/caregivers’ preferences in the US. Abstract presented at IDWeek; October 11-15, 2023; Boston, MA.

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