Vaccine-related beliefs and preventive behavior among Japanese travelers staying at a budget guesthouse in New Delhi, India: travel vaccinations after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background

With a rapid recovery in international travel after the COVID-19 pandemic, improving vaccination uptake among travelers is critical to preventing the cross-border spread of pathogens. We examined the associations between vaccine-related beliefs and vaccination behavior among Japanese travelers staying at a budget guesthouse in New Delhi, India.

Methods

Japanese travelers aged 16–75 years who stayed at a budget guesthouse in Paharganj, New Delhi were targeted (n = 1493). Cross-sectional surveys were conducted from December 14, 2022, to March 28, 2024, and from August 1 to October 7, 2024, using a web-based questionnaire. Vaccination behavior was defined as the primary outcome from whether individuals had gotten any vaccines for their travel. We examined the associations of four vaccine-related belief items (each on a 5-point scale for confidence, barriers, trust, and natural immunity) with vaccination behavior.

Results

In total (n = 853), 447 participants (52.4 %) had not received any vaccines for international travel. After adjusting for all potential confounders, 1-point increases in vaccine confidence and medical trust were positively associated with vaccination behavior, i.e., ORs (95 % CIs) of 1.60 (1.34, 1.92) and 1.52 (1.35, 1.73), respectively. In contrast, a 1-point increase in belief in natural immunity was negatively associated with vaccination behavior.

Conclusions

Addressing vaccine confidence, medical trust, and beliefs in natural immunity would be beneficial to promoting travel vaccinations among Japanese travelers staying at a budget guesthouse in New Delhi, India.