Predictors of real-world parents’ acceptance to vaccinate their children against the COVID-19

  1. Petros Galanis
  2. Irene Vraka
  3. Olga Siskou
  4. Olympia Konstantakopoulou
  5. Aglaia Katsiroumpa
  6. Ioannis Moisoglou
  7. Daphne Kaitelidou
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Abstract

Background

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten public health, the vaccination of children against the disease appears to be a key factor to control the pandemic.

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of parents who have vaccinated their children against the COVID-19 and the factors influencing this decision.

Methods

We conducted a web-based cross-sectional study in Greece during the first week of September 2021. The study questionnaire was distributed through social media and a convenience sample was obtained. Only parents with children aged 12-17 years old could participate in the study. We collected socio-demographic data of parents and we measured their attitudes towards vaccination and COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Study population included 656 parents. Mean age of parents was 45.5 years, while most of them were mothers with a high level of education. Regarding vaccination, 27.1% of parents had their children vaccinated against the COVID-19, while almost all children had a complete vaccination history (98.9%). The most important reasons for decline of COVID-19 vaccination were doubts about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (45.3%) and fear of side effects (36.6%). Regarding the information about the COVID-19 vaccines, parents showed more trust in family doctors than in scientists and the government. Multivariate regression analysis identified that increased parents’ age, increased trust in COVID-19 vaccines, and positive attitude of parents towards vaccination had a positive effect on children’s vaccination.

Conclusions

Understanding the factors influencing parents’ decision to vaccinate their children against the COVID-19 is crucial to increase the COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate. Implementation of public health policies is necessary to spread knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and to regain vaccine confidence.

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