Caregivers’ Sources of Information About Immunization as Predictors of Delayed Childhood Vaccinations in Saudi Arabia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Purpose This study compared the most used sources of information by caregivers for scheduled childhood vaccination in Saudi Arabia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the effect of this decision-making. Methods An electronic survey was administered to 577 caregivers of children aged ≤2 years residing in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic curfew. The sources of information on childhood vaccination considered by the caregivers and their influence on the caregivers’ decision to delay scheduled vaccination were assessed and statistically analyzed. Results Most participants (90.8%) were mothers aged 32.6 ± 5.7 years. Before the pandemic, most caregivers sought information about children’s vaccinations personally from the healthcare workers, or trustworthy sources, including the Ministry of Health (MOH), MOH call center 937, and MOH Sehha app. However, during the pandemic, there was a noticeable decrease in the searches for health information through professional consultations (in person and health websites) and a significant increase in the use of social media platforms. Twitter was the most used platform (29.9%) and the use of Snapchat was significantly higher during the lockdown period compared to its use before the pandemic (21.9% vs 17.2%, P < 0.001). The use of social media not only increased the level of fear among the caregivers but also had a negative effect on their decisions about children’s vaccinations. Searches on YouTube and Facebook particularly increased the odds of delaying vaccinations by 2.63 times ( P = 0.008) and 3.66 times ( P = 0.025), respectively. Conclusion During the pandemic, caregivers’ health-information seeking behavior was directed towards social media networking. In Saudi Arabia, YouTube and Facebook, in particular, played an important role in the caregivers’ decision-making about childhood vaccinations. The results of this survey provide valuable information on how to reach the Saudi population and launch an effective awareness campaign using the most commonly accessed and influential sources of information.

Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pregnant Women’s Attitudes towards Childhood Vaccinations: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…These findings are also consistent with those reported in other Italian studies during the pre-pandemic period [23,49,50] and represent a noteworthy trend, since scientific literature recognises these sources as primary contributors to mis-information [51][52][53][54]. Moreover, a study conducted in Saudi Arabia reported that seeking vaccination information from family, friends, or social media increased delayed vaccinations [55]. The results indicate that the overall perceived usefulness of the internet, whether specifically referring to institutional or non-institutional websites or to mobile applications, is supported by previous studies that recognise it as one of the primary sources of information [56,57].…”

The Impact of Social Media on Vaccination: A Narrative Review

“…Inclination towards SMPs to seek information on vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in parents' decision-making on children's immunization in countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel. 53 54 A study was conducted on 577 caregivers of children aged < 2 years in Saudi Arabia to assess the predictors of delayed vaccine. Searching online for vaccine-related information or taking others' opinions was preferred by only 1% of respondents before the pandemic, but increased to 30% during the pandemic.…”

“…The use of SMPs was also associated with increased fear of vaccines and increased odds of delayed vaccination by 3–4 times. 53 Ashkenazi et al 54 concluded in a study evaluating measles vaccine hesitancy that the vaccination status was significantly associated with the primary source of information used for making decision. About 85% of parents acquiring knowledge from family physicians or paediatricians vaccinated their children, whereas half of the parents whose most trusted source was the internet or SMPs were vaccine hesitant.…”

“…Table 1 44 45 46 47 48 53 58 59 62 and Table 2 54 55 56 60 61 summarized studies of impacts of SMPs on uptakes of COVID-19 vaccine and non-COVID-19 vaccines, respectively.…”

COVID-19 Vaccination in Saudi Arabia: A Mini Literature Review

“…In addition, Baghdadi et al (2022) revealed that caregivers' health-information seeking behavior was oriented toward social media networking throughout the pandemic, social media, particularly YouTube and Facebook, influenced parents' decisions about their children's immunizations, primarily in Saudi Arabia [9]. The assessment outcomes shed light on the best ways to reach the Saudi public and launch a successful awareness campaign by identifying the most popular and powerful information resources.…”