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Caregiver willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19: Cross sectional survey
Ran D Goldman1, Tyler D Yan1, Michelle Seiler2
1The Pediatric Research in Emergency Therapeutics (PRETx) Program, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Insights
Most caregivers intend to vaccinate children against COVID-19. Factors like child age, health, and vaccination history predict intent. Public health efforts should address safety concerns and educate parents on vaccine benefits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Vaccinology
- Public health
Background:
- Over 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in development.
- High vaccine coverage in children is crucial for herd immunity, potentially requiring up to 80% population coverage.
- Past pandemic vaccine uptake in US children was low (40% during 2009 H1N1).
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors influencing global caregivers' intent to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.
- To understand caregiver perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination.
Main Methods:
- International cross-sectional survey of 1541 caregivers with children in 16 pediatric Emergency Departments across six countries.
- Data collected between March 26 and May 31, 2020.
Main Results:
- 65% of caregivers intended to vaccinate their child against COVID-19.
- Positive predictors for vaccination intent included older children, no chronic illness, father-completed survey, up-to-date routine vaccinations, and recent influenza vaccination.
- Caregivers cited child protection as the primary reason for vaccination intent (62%), while vaccine novelty was the main refusal reason (52%).
Conclusions:
- A majority of caregivers intend to vaccinate children against COVID-19, influenced by child/caregiver demographics and vaccination history.
- Public health strategies must address uptake barriers by communicating vaccine safety and efficacy.
- Education on infection risks and the importance of pediatric vaccination is essential.
Background:
More than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in development since the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence was published in January 2020. The uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine among children will be instrumental in limiting the spread of the disease as herd immunity may require vaccine coverage of up to 80% of the population. Prior history of pandemic vaccine coverage was as low as 40% among children in the United States during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.
Purpose:
To investigate predictors associated with global caregivers' intent to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, when the vaccine becomes available.
Method:
An international cross sectional survey of 1541 caregivers arriving with their children to 16 pediatric Emergency Departments (ED) across six countries from March 26 to May 31, 2020.
Results:
65% (n = 1005) of caregivers reported that they intend to vaccinate their child against COVID-19, once a vaccine is available. A univariate and subsequent multivariate analysis found that increased intended uptake was associated with children that were older, children with no chronic illness, when fathers completed the survey, children up-to-date on their vaccination schedule, recent history of vaccination against influenza, and caregivers concerned their child had COVID-19 at the time of survey completion in the ED. The most common reason reported by caregivers intending to vaccinate was to protect their child (62%), and the most common reason reported by caregivers refusing vaccination was the vaccine's novelty (52%).
Conclusions:
The majority of caregivers intend to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, though uptake will likely be associated with specific factors such as child and caregiver demographics and vaccination history. Public health strategies need to address barriers to uptake by providing evidence about an upcoming COVID-19 vaccine's safety and efficacy, highlighting the risks and consequences of infection in children, and educating caregivers on the role of vaccination.
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