Attitudes of parents about COVID-19 vaccinations for their children: A single-center cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Vaccine hesitancy has recently grown worldwide, caused by misinformation generally. The study aimed to determine parental intention to vaccinate children against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and factors associated with vaccination hesitancy.
METHODS: The cross-sectional survey study was conducted in Ege University General Pediatrics Outpatient Clinic. The parents of 12-18 years-old children were admitted to the clinic between June and December 2021 (n=819) included in the study. They were asked about their intention to vaccinate themselves and their children. The vaccination status against COVID-19, hesitancy or willingness to vaccinate their children, and factors affecting parents’ thoughts regarding COVID-19 vaccines were measures of the study.
RESULTS: The vaccination rate of the parents was 70.3%, while parents' intention to vaccinate their children was 69.0%. Most parents had awareness regarding COVID-19 vaccines (88.3%), and most parents (89.4%) stated that the vaccination was necessary for the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents who have a male child or younger child were intended to be hesitant. Parents’ beliefs about the necessity of vaccines, awareness about COVID-19 vaccines, and their vaccination status against COVID-19 were identified as decreasing factors in parents’hesitancy.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Parents' attitudes and vaccination status play a key role in children's vaccination. Providing reliable information to parents regarding the COVID-19 vaccines should be considered a priority to increase childhood immunization.