A Cross-Sectional Study Examining Vaccine Uptake and Attitudes Among Parents Compared to Other Adults

Encouraging vaccine uptake among U.S. residents is an increasingly important public health issue that was magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy, an important correlate of vaccine uptake, has been studied extensively in parents with respect to parental attitudes and decision-making toward vaccinating their children. Less work has examined parent attitudes and behaviors regarding personal vaccine uptake and how COVID-19-related vaccine attitudes and behaviors may differ from other types of vaccine attitudes and behaviors (e.g., influenza vaccination). We surveyed a probability-based sample of 585 United States adults in November 2021. Parents (i.e., primary caregiver of at least one child aged 18 years or younger, living in the home) compared to other adults, demographics (age, sex, income, education, ethnicity, urbanicity), and political affiliation were examined as correlates of COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and COVID-19 and influenza vaccine uptake. Multivariate linear regression analyses examined attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Compared to other adults, parents of children aged 18 years or younger reported more negative attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Multivariate logistic models examined the odds of COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine uptake. Compared to other adults, parents of children aged 18 years or younger had a significantly lower odds of COVID-19 vaccine uptake; differences in influenza vaccine uptake were not statistically significant. Results suggest vaccination attitudes and behaviors may be pathogen specific. Tailored public health messaging that address the concerns of caregivers may help improve vaccine uptake.