Perceptions of Parents towards COVID-19 Vaccination in Children, Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Vaccines are an important part of the COVID-19 pandemic response plan. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the attitude and perception levels of parents toward COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 0-18 years in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Out of a total of 1463 parents, 30.6% assumed that COVID-19 vaccination may be more dangerous for children than adults. Nearly 36.5% parents don't have any concern about children's vaccination. About 12.8% of children have not received the vaccination, 55% of parents have some sort of hesitation and 32.2% of parents did not hesitate before vaccinating their children against COVID-19. Only 15.4% of parents expect that the COVID-19 vaccine affects their child's genes. About 23.4% parents strongly agreed and 35.1% agreed about the importance of getting their children vaccinated. About 22.1% of parents strongly agreed and 33.3% agreed regarding their willingness to get their children vaccinated to prevent Coronavirus disease. More than 80% of parents recommended rushing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Health professionals and policymakers should implement and support strategies to ensure children are vaccinated for COVID-19. They also need to educate parents and families regarding childhood vaccination.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess the attitude and perception levels of parents towards COVID-19 vaccines for children in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. The results showed that a significant percentage of parents believed that COVID-19 vaccines may be more dangerous for children than adults. However, there were also parents who had no concerns about children's vaccination. A considerable number of children had not received the vaccine, and some parents expressed hesitations towards vaccination. Nevertheless, there were also parents who strongly agreed on the importance of vaccinating children to prevent the disease. Therefore, health professionals and policymakers should implement strategies to ensure children are vaccinated and educate parents and families about childhood vaccination.