Parents' reasons to vaccinate their children aged 5–11 years against COVID-19 in Italy

Napoli, Annalisa; Giudice, Grazia Miraglia del; Corea, Francesco; Folcarelli, Lucio; Angelillo, Italo Francesco

doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.949693

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The results of this study are not surprising, as quite similar data were reported in studies regarding parental hesitancy toward COVID-19 immunization of 5–11 year-old children before or immediately after official authorization in a different Italian population [ 39 ] and other countries [ 40 , 41 ]. On the other hand, these factors have often been identified among the main reasons for parents’ refusal or lack of conviction to vaccinate their children, even in many studies specifically planned to evaluate the willingness of parents to be compliant with the national recommendations on child vaccination [ 42 , 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Knowledge on Parental Hesitancy toward COVID-19 Vaccination of Children 5–11 Years Old

et al. 2023

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Although vaccines are the safest and the most effective measure to prevent disease, disability, and death from various pediatric infectious diseases, parental vaccine hesitancy is a common and increasing phenomenon worldwide. To contribute to improving our knowledge on parental willingness and hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccine administration in children aged 5–11 years, an anonymous online questionnaire was disseminated in Italy after the COVID-19 vaccine’s authorization for this age group. An online survey was conducted using the Crowd Signal platform from 15 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 in Italy among parents of children 5–11 years old. A total of 3433 questionnaires were analyzed. Overall, a “Favorable” position was observed in 1459 (42.5%) parents, a “Doubtful” one in 1223 (35.6%) and a “Hesitant/Reluctant” one in 751 (21.9%). The univariate multinomial logistic regression analysis and the multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the Hesitant/Reluctant parents were younger than 40 years of age, mostly female, with a secondary or middle school degree, an annual income below EUR 28,000, more than one child in the age range from 5 to 11 years, an underestimated consideration of the severity of COVID-19’s effects, and concern regarding the COVID-19 vaccines in general. These results show that in Italy, most parents of children aged 5 to 11 were doubtful or hesitant/reluctant to vaccinate their children against the COVID-19 virus. Poor trust in health institutions as well as poor consideration of the epidemiological and clinical relevance of COVID-19 in children seem to have played the biggest roles in forming these attitudes. Moreover, the negative attitude of several parents who previously agreed to immunize their children against other childhood illnesses according to the official national pediatric immunization schedule clearly indicates that only the COVID-19 vaccine was put in doubt or rejected. All these findings lead us to conclude that to improve COVID-19 vaccination coverage in children aged 5 to 11, health authorities should increase parental education on the true clinical relevance of COVID-19 and on the importance of its prevention to hinder the evolution of the pandemic in pediatric subjects and the emergence of new variants, and its relative weight in influencing the efficacy of vaccines.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Knowledge on Parental Hesitancy toward COVID-19 Vaccination of Children 5–11 Years Old

et al. 2023

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“…They play a pivotal role with a direct impact in helping individuals to acquire and to understand COVID-19-related information and, therefore, in influencing individuals' decision-making regarding healthcare issues including COVID-19 vaccination. This finding is aligned with the mounting evidence showing that advice or recommendation by physicians is very effective for increasing the level of knowledge, awareness, and vaccination uptake in different groups [8,10,12,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Moreover, eHealth tools, widely and successfully used during the time of COVID-19 for patients' management, may be also helpful in immunization programs with education and communication activities on the benefits and to support the promotion of vaccination, and thus with the aims of increasing willingness and uptake.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…A possible explanation for indicating the protection as the main reason is the extensive and persistent diffusion of SARS-CoV-2 infection that may have contributed to the awareness among the sample with a consequent high sense of urgency regarding this vaccination. Earlier studies in different geographic areas showed comparable results [8,[18][19][20]. Furthermore, only 22.6% of the respondents indicated that they were advised by a physician to get this booster dose.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…This survey was conducted as part of a larger project aimed at investigating perceptions and behaviors towards the COVID-19 vaccination among different groups of people in Southern Italy [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines were followed [17]. The survey was carried out between 20 July and 4 August 2022 in two immunization centers randomly selected from the list of those located in the city of Naples, the southern part of Italy.…”

Section: Study Setting and Sample Recruitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The questionnaire was designed based on those used in similar previously published surveys carried out by some of us among a variety of populations [8][9][10][11]. A total of 20 nonselected individuals were interviewed to verify the questionnaire's clarity, wording, and as well as whether any of the questions were difficult to comprehend.…”

Section: Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating the Reasons for Receiving the Second Booster Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine in Adults and in People with Chronic Medical Conditions in Southern Italy

et al. 2023

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This cross-sectional survey explored the attitudes and the reasons, as well their associated factors, for receiving the second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine among a sample of all old adults and of people with chronic medical conditions attending two randomly selected immunization centers in Naples (Italy). A total of 438 questionnaires were collected. The majority were male (55.1%) and the median age was 71 years. A higher perception of the vaccine’s utility, measured with a 10-point Likert type scale, has been observed among males, individuals with a higher perception that COVID-19 is a severe illness, with a higher self-awareness of being at risk of infection, and with a higher trust in the information received. The most reported reasons for receiving the second booster dose included protection of themselves and of their family members from getting COVID-19, fear of acquiring the disease, and having a physician’s recommendation. Younger participants, married/cohabitant, and with a higher perception that COVID-19 is a severe illness were more likely to have indicated protecting themselves and their family members as reason for receiving the booster dose. Respondents with a chronic medical condition, with a higher perception that COVID-19 is a severe illness, with a lower trust in the information received, and informed by physicians were more likely to have received the vaccine because they perceived of being at risk of getting a severe form of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Physicians should play a pivotal role in stressing the importance of the second booster dose and in helping individuals to make decisions.

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Bivalent second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: Eligible populations’ reasons for receiving in Italy

Polla

Giudice

Pelullo

et al. 2023

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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The Italian Ministry of Health recommended the administration of the bivalent second booster dose of the new available mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for subjects aged 60 y and over, aged 12 y and over with high frailty motivated by concomitant/preexisting conditions, and health-care workers. The purposes of this cross-sectional survey were to investigate the reasons for receiving the bivalent second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and associated influencing factors among the eligible population attending two immunization centers randomly selected in the city of Naples, Italy. A total of 535 subjects participated. Only 17.5% revealed high concern about the possibility of acquiring the COVID-19 disease. Those younger, those who had at least one chronic medical condition, and those who had a higher perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 disease were more likely to be very concerned. Having a higher belief of the vaccine’s safety and usefulness were significant positive predictors of the respondents’ belief of the efficacy of the bivalent second booster dose. The two most common reasons reported for receiving the bivalent second booster dose included the protection for themselves and for their cohabitants. Those younger and those who had a higher perception of the vaccine’s usefulness in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to receive the bivalent second booster dose for the protection of their cohabitants. Health-care organizations and health-care professionals can use these findings in their efforts to design educational and communication interventions to accelerate the uptake of this vaccine for reducing the frequency of this disease.

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Parents' reasons to vaccinate their children aged 5–11 years against COVID-19 in Italy

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

Knowledge on Parental Hesitancy toward COVID-19 Vaccination of Children 5–11 Years Old

Knowledge on Parental Hesitancy toward COVID-19 Vaccination of Children 5–11 Years Old

Investigating the Reasons for Receiving the Second Booster Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine in Adults and in People with Chronic Medical Conditions in Southern Italy

Bivalent second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: Eligible populations’ reasons for receiving in Italy

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