4.7 Article

Parents' Hesitancy to Vaccinate Their Children Against COVID-19, a Country-Wide Survey

Journal

FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 10, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.755073

Keywords

coronavirus; vaccine; childhood vaccination; hesitancy; Saudi Arabia

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The study found that in Saudi Arabia, the majority of parents have a positive attitude towards children's COVID-19 vaccination, but there is still a portion of parents who are hesitant. Parents who are hesitant towards COVID-19 vaccination are mainly concentrated in specific groups, such as young mothers, parents who have not received COVID-19 or influenza vaccines, etc.
ObjectiveParents' hesitancy (PH) toward childhood vaccination, including the vaccine of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is one of the top public health threats. We aim to assess the PH toward children COVID-19 vaccination as compared to PH toward children routine vaccination among the residents of Saudi Arabia. MethodBefore the official approval of children's COVID-19 vaccination in the country, a cross-sectional study using an electronically distributed survey was performed. Responses from parents of children younger than 18 years of age were accepted. The Oxford COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale (OC19-VHS) and the routine vaccination hesitancy scale (R-VHS) were used. Parents were classified as hesitant, non-hesitant, and unsure. ResultsBetween June 18th-30th, 2021, we included 1,052 parents. More than half of the parents were positive toward the childhood COVID-19 vaccination (63%) while 10% were unsure. Higher parental hesitancy toward children COVID-19 vaccination among mothers, parents younger than 40 years, did not receive COVID-19 nor influenza vaccines, had higher educational levels, and parents who recovered from COVID-19 infection. Hesitancy was mainly driven by the novelty of the vaccines and the fear of serious adverse effects. Compared to the routine vaccination, parents were more hesitant toward COVID-19 vaccination (6 vs. 27%). ConclusionGenerally, parents in Saudi Arabia were positive toward children's COVID-19 vaccination. Focused education to reassure hesitant parents on the safety of the vaccine is essential to achieve larger vaccination coverage.

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