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Sociodemographic Trends and Correlation between Parental Hesitancy towards Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccines and Routine
Olufunto A Olusanya1,2, Nina B Masters1,3, Fan Zhang4
1Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Insights
Parental hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines rose significantly, while routine childhood immunization hesitancy fluctuated. Hesitancy for both vaccine types correlated, especially among certain demographics, highlighting the need for improved parent-provider communication.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Parental vaccine hesitancy poses a significant challenge to achieving high pediatric immunization coverage.
- Understanding the factors influencing hesitancy towards both COVID-19 vaccines and routine childhood immunizations (RCIs) is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify trends and prevalence of parental hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and RCIs.
- To examine the relationship between hesitancy for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and RCIs.
- To assess trends in RCI hesitancy based on sociodemographic and behavioral factors.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing data from the US National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module (November 2021-July 2022).
- Inclusion of parents/guardians of children aged 5-11 years (n=54,329).
- Analysis of trends, prevalence, and correlations between vaccine hesitancy types and demographic factors.
Main Results:
- Parental hesitancy for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines increased from 24.8% to 40.6% over nine months.
- RCI hesitancy saw a temporary increase but returned to baseline.
- COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was higher among White and rural parents, while RCI hesitancy was higher among Black parents.
- Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was 2-6 times more prevalent in hesitant RCI parents, showing a positive correlation across demographics.
Conclusions:
- A significant rise in parental hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines was observed, alongside a notable correlation with RCI hesitancy.
- Demographic disparities exist in hesitancy patterns for both vaccine types.
- Enhanced parent-provider communication is recommended to bolster vaccine confidence and improve pediatric vaccination rates.
Abstract:
Multiple factors may influence parental vaccine hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and routine childhood immunizations (RCIs). Using the United States National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module data collected from parents/guardians of children aged 5-11 years, this cross-sectional study (1) identified the trends and prevalence estimates of parental hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and RCIs, (2) examined the relationship between hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and RCIs, and (3) assessed trends in parental hesitancy towards RCIs by sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral and social drivers of COVID-19 vaccination. From November 2021 to July 2022, 54,329 parents or guardians were interviewed. During this 9-month period, the proportion of parents hesitant about pediatric COVID-19 vaccines increased by 15.8 percentage points (24.8% to 40.6%). Additionally, the proportion of parents who reported RCIs hesitancy increased by 4.7 percentage points from November 2021 to May 2022 but returned to baseline by July 2022. Over nine months, parents' concerns about pediatric COVID-19 infections declined; however, parents were increasingly worried about pediatric COVID-19 vaccine safety and overall importance. Furthermore, pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was more prevalent among parents of children who were White (43.2%) versus Black (29.3%) or Hispanic (26.9%) and those residing in rural (51.3%) compared to urban (28.9%) areas. In contrast, RCIs hesitancy was higher among parents of children who were Black (32.0%) versus Hispanic (24.5%) or White (23.6%). Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was 2-6 times as prevalent among parents who were RCIs hesitant compared to those who were RCIs non-hesitant. This positive correlation between parental hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and RCIs was observed for all demographic and psychosocial factors for unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios. Parent-provider interactions should increase vaccine confidence, shape social norms, and facilitate behavior change to promote pediatric vaccination rates.
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