Changes in COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptability among Parents with Children Aged 6-35 Months in China-Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys in 2020 and 2021

China is considering to offer COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6-35 months. This study investigated the changes in COVID-19 vaccine acceptability and associated factors among parents with children aged 6-35 months in 2020 and 2021. Two rounds of cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among adult factory workers in Shenzhen, China. A subset of 208 (first round) and 229 (second round) parents with at least one child aged 6-35 months was included in the study. Parental acceptability of COVID-19 vaccination increased significantly from 66.8% in the first round to 79.5% in the second round (p = 0.01). Positive attitudes, perceived subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were associated with higher parental acceptability in both rounds of surveys (p values ranged from <0.001 to 0.003). A negative association of negative attitudes with parental acceptability was observed in the second round (p = 0.02). No significant associations of exposure to information related to COVID-19 vaccination on social media with parental acceptability was found in either round of survey. Expanding the existing COVID-19 vaccination programs to cover children aged 6-35 months is necessary in China. Future programs should focus on modifying perceptions among parents to promote COVID-19 vaccination for children in this age group.

Automated summary

China is considering vaccinating children aged 6-35 months against COVID-19. A study conducted among parents of children in this age group investigated the changes in COVID-19 vaccine acceptability and associated factors. The study found that parental acceptability of the vaccine increased significantly from 66.8% to 79.5% between 2020 and 2021. Positive attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were associated with higher acceptability, while negative attitudes were negatively associated with acceptability in the second round. Exposure to information on social media did not significantly impact parental acceptability. Expanding vaccination programs to include children in this age group is necessary in China, and efforts should focus on modifying parents' perceptions to promote vaccine acceptance.