Intent among Parents to Vaccinate Children before Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations, Minnesota and Los Angeles County, California—May–September 2021

• Authors: Kara A Suvada, Emory University; Stuart F Quan, Harvard Medical School; Matthew D Weaver, Harvard Medical School; Meera Sreedhara, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mark É Czeisler, Austin Health; Kathy Como-Sabetti, Minnesota Department of Health; Ruth Lynfield, Minnesota Department of Health; Prabhu Grounder, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Elizabeth Traub, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Aryana Amoon, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Chandresh N Ladva, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mark E Howard, Austin Health; Charles A Czeisler, Harvard Medical School; Shantha MW Rajaratnam, Harvard Medical School; Donatus U Ekwueme, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Brendan Flannery, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Rashon I Lane, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Journal Title: Vaccines
• Volume: Volume 10, Number 9
• Publisher: MDPI | 2022-09-01
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10091441
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: COVID-19

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the associations between parent intent to have their child receive the COVID-19 vaccination, and demographic factors and various child activities, including attendance at in-person education or childcare. Methods: Persons undergoing COVID-19 testing residing in Minnesota and Los Angeles County, California with children aged <12 years completed anonymous internet-based surveys between 10 May and 6 September 2021 to assess factors associated with intention to vaccinate their child. Factors influencing the parents’ decision to have their child attend in-person school or childcare were examined. Estimated adjusted odds rations (AORs, 95% CI) were computed between parents’ intentions regarding children’s COVID-19 vaccination and participation in school and extra-curricular activities using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Compared to parents intending to vaccinate their children (n = 4686 [77.2%]), those undecided (n = 874 [14.4%]) or without intention to vaccinate (n = 508 [8.4%]) tended to be younger, non-White, less educated, and themselves not vaccinated against COVID-19. Their children more commonly participated in sports (aOR:1.51 1.17–1.95) and in-person faith or community activities (aOR:4.71 3.62–6.11). A greater proportion of parents without intention to vaccinate (52.5%) indicated that they required no more information to make their decision in comparison to undecided parents (13.2%). They further indicated that additional information regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness would influence their decision. COVID-19 mitigation measures were the most common factors influencing parents’ decision to have their child attend in-person class or childcare. Conclusions: Several demographic and socioeconomic factors are associated with parents’ decision whether to vaccinate their <12-year-old children for COVID-19. Child participation in in-person activities was associated with parents’ intentions not to vaccinate. Tailored communications may be useful to inform parents’ decisions regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.