Determinants of parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 in China

Vaccine hesitancy seriously hinders herd immunity. We explored the determinants of parental hesitancy to vaccinate children against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. A population-based self-administered online questionnaire evaluating parental hesitancy in vaccinating their children against COVID-19 was conducted in Taizhou, China. Of the 2463 parents who received the invitation, 1788 (72.6%) responded to the survey. Of the repondents, 52.5% were hesitant. Mothers exhibited a greater proportion of vaccine hesitancy than fathers did (57.5% vs. 41.7%, P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that parents with children under 18 years of age (OR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.90-0.99), lower knowledge scores about COVID-19 vaccination (Q1: OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.37-2.69; Q2: OR = 1.51, 95%CI: 1.10-2.08), lower awareness of the permission of vaccinating children (OR = 1.74, 95%CI: 1.36-2.23) and hesitancy to inoculate themselves (OR = 8.18, 95%CI: 6.48-10.33) were associated with parental hesitancy to inoculate their children. Results also revealed the disparity between fathers and mothers regarding associated factors. This study found that a substantial proportion of parents reported being hesitant to vaccinate children against COVID-19, implying the necessity of comprehensive assessment and health education programs for vaccination systems in China.

Automated summary

This study found a significant proportion of parents in China hesitated to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, with mothers showing more hesitancy than fathers. Factors such as parents' knowledge about the vaccine, awareness of permission for child vaccination, and their own vaccination hesitancy were associated with parental hesitancy. There is a need for comprehensive assessments and health education programs to address vaccine hesitancy in China.