COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake among caregivers of children aged 5-11 years in Ontario, Canada: A cross-sectional survey.

Publisher: Elsevier Science Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 8406899 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-2518 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0264410X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Vaccine Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Amsterdam, The Netherlands : Elsevier Science
Original Publication: [Guildford, Surrey, UK] : Butterworths, [c1983-

COVID-19 Vaccines*/administration & dosage ; Caregivers*/statistics & numerical data ; Caregivers*/psychology ; COVID-19*/prevention & control ; Vaccination*/statistics & numerical data ; Vaccination*/psychology; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Adult ; Ontario ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Vaccination Hesitancy/statistics & numerical data ; Vaccination Hesitancy/psychology ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data

Introduction: Although COVID-19 vaccine safety in 5-11-year-old children has been documented, half of Ontarian children this age remain unvaccinated. This study aimed to assess caregivers' vaccine acceptance for 5-11-year-old children and identify factors associated with vaccine non-acceptance.
Methods: A multi-language self-administered survey was sent to caregivers of 5-11-year-old children through schools and community health centers within the Greater Toronto Area from April-July 2022. Sociodemographic characteristics and immunization behaviours were collected for caregivers, their 5-11-year-old children, and any older siblings. The primary outcome, COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, was previous uptake of COVID-19 vaccine or caregiver intent to vaccinate for their 5-11-year-old child. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression.
Results: In total, 807 caregivers were included in analysis. Although 93 % of caregivers had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, 77 % had a 5-11-year-old child who received at least one dose of vaccine. Caregivers age was associated with vaccine acceptance (vs. < 40 years; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.4-3.1 for ages 40-49; aOR 2.8, 95 % CI 1.1-7.1 for ages ≥50 years). Immunization factors associated with vaccine acceptance included caregiver COVID-19 vaccination (aOR 38.1 vs. unvaccinated caregivers; 95 % CI 15.8-92.3), older siblings COVID-19 vaccination (aOR 49.2 vs. unvaccinated siblings; 95 % CI 18.3-132.3), and recent influenza vaccination for the child (aOR 6.9 vs. no influenza vaccine; 95 % CI 4.6-10.5). Among 189 caregivers with unvaccinated 5-11-year-old children, the most common reasons for non-acceptance were concerns about long-term side effects (59 %), lack of experience vaccinating children (41 %), and concerns that vaccines were developed too quickly (39 %).
Conclusion: Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination for 5-11-year-old children were associated with caregiver vaccine behaviors and sociodemographic factors. These findings highlight groups of caregivers that can be targeted for educational interventions and concerns that may be addressed to increase vaccine confidence.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Shaun K. Morris reports a relationship with GlaxoSmithKline that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Shaun K. Morris reports a relationship with BioMerieux that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Shaun K. Morris reports a relationship with Pfizer that includes: consulting or advisory and funding grants. Shaun K. Morris reports a relationship with Merck that includes: consulting or advisory. Shaun K. Morris reports a relationship with Sanofi Pasteur that includes: consulting or advisory. Shaun K. Morris reports a relationship with Apotex that includes: consulting or advisory. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Keywords: COVID-19; Caregivers; Children; SARS-CoV-2; Survey; Vaccine acceptance; Vaccine hesitancy

0 (COVID-19 Vaccines)

Date Created: 20240521 Date Completed: 20240711 Latest Revision: 20240711

20240712

10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.007

38772834