Community Perception and Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccination for Children in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccines are an important part of the COVID-19 pandemic response plan. This study was undertaken to find out the percentage of supporters in the Saudi population for COVID-19 vaccination among children, and to assess the study population’s perceptions towards COVID-19 vaccination among children. Material and Methods: This nationwide study adopted a cross-sectional survey of adult participants, conducted by trained medical students. The anonymous questionnaire was published on social media tools. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-tailed tests. Results: Six hundred and twenty (620) participants were recruited for this study. Nearly 17.0% of participants had a chronic health problem/comorbidity. About 28.7% of the study participants reported having COVID-19 infection. The COVID-19 vaccine was received among 94.7% of the study respondents. The majority of the vaccination supporters (89.0%) wanted to get the third dose. There was a statistically significant association between the participant’s attitudes towards getting vaccinated themselves, and their attitude towards children’s vaccination. Vaccine newness, as a reason for hesitating to get vaccinated, was most reported among non-vaccine supporters. False religious beliefs were found to significantly influence the opposing attitude towards children’s vaccination. Conclusion: Health professionals and policy makers should implement and support strategies to ensure children are vaccinated against COVID-19. They also need to educate parents and families regarding the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Hesitancy among Pregnant and Lactating Women in Saudi Arabia

“…A recent study conducted in Saudi Arabia reports that about 12.8% of children have not received the vaccination, 55% of parents have some sort of hesitation and 32.2% of parents did not hesitate before vaccinating their children against COVID-19 [ 10 ]. Vaccine newness, as a reason for hesitating to get vaccinated, was most reported among non-vaccine supporters in another study from Saudi Arabia [ 11 ]. The side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are the most important barrier to vaccine acceptance [ 12 ].…”

Factors Driving the Attitudes and Hesitancy of Albanian Parents toward COVID-19 Vaccination of Children

“…Studies developed in other countries have also reported side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine as being the most common concern expressed regarding both children under 5 years and 5-12 years [11,12]. Another study evaluating COVID-19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers in Albania observed that staff living in households with ≥4 members who were supposed to have dependent children in the house were less likely to receive a third COVID-19 vaccine dose compared with two-person households [13].…”

The Distinction Between Male and Female Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccination

“…This result is agreement with the result of 13. . Table (2) Association between overall attitudes of male and female toward covid-19 vaccination and their demographic data. The present study shows the association between the overall attitudes of adult community toward COVID-19 vaccination and their demographic data were a significant association (P<0.05) except: gender in which there was a non-significant association (P>0.…”