Parents’ Willingness to Vaccinate Their Children With COVID-19 Vaccine: Results of a Survey in Italy

Abstract

Purpose This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children with COVID-19 vaccine and related determinants with specific attention to willingness for adolescents as compared to younger children. Methods Data were collected through a confidential online questionnaire. Results A total of 607 parents agreed to participate. More than two-thirds of the parents had a good knowledge about the modes of transmission of COVID-19, knew that subjects of any age may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and 85.5% correctly indicated the main behavioral preventive measures against COVID-19. As regard to attitudes, 78.7% agreed that COVID-19 is a serious disease, whereas only 42.3% agreed that it is preventable. Overall, 68.5% were willing to vaccinate their children with COVID-19 vaccine, specifically 74.5% of parents of adolescents and 65.5% of those of younger children, and the results of the multivariate analysis showed that parents of adolescents aged 12-15 years or 16-18 years compared to those of children aged 11 years or less, those who had more than two children, those who reported that their children had been visited by the primary care pediatrician/physician in the previous 12 months, those who agreed that COVID-19 is a serious disease, considered very useful the COVID-19 vaccine, had been vaccinated against influenza in the previous season, and had received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine were more likely to be willing to vaccinate their children. Conclusion In conclusion, a relevant proportion of parents are willing to vaccinate their children with parents of adolescents showing a higher willingness compared to those of younger children. However, there is still room for reducing hesitancy and refusal of COVID-19 vaccine in this strategic population group, by promoting communication to mitigate concerns towards COVID-19 vaccine.

Focus on High School: Factors Associated with Creating Harmony between the Educational Transition and Adolescents’ Well-Being

“…Aside from the high willingness to get vaccinated among the students in our study, 78.1% of parents in the same area (Chiang Mai’s urban district) agreed that their children should be vaccinated ( Figure S1C ). These findings were consistent with previous research findings relative to either adolescents or parents [ 45 , 46 ] ( Figure S1C ) [ 20 ]. Immunization may not be as frightening for adolescents as it is for younger children, whose parents were less likely to allow them to be vaccinated [ 47 ].…”

Parental and Pediatricians’ Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination for Children: Results from Nationwide Samples in Greece

“…According to our results, the percentage of Greek parents who intended to vaccinate their children from 5 to 17 years of age was 54.7%, while 92.6% of pediatricians recommended pediatric vaccination against COVID-19. These findings are consistent with global and country-specific estimates during the same period [ 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Black‐and‐white thinking and conspiracy beliefs prevent parents from vaccinating their children against COVID‐19

“…Thus, in this current scenario, it seems crucial to investigate willingness and hesitancy related to pediatric COVID‐19 vaccine, in order to understand the possible reasons for non‐vaccination, and investigate those factors that may affect vaccine acceptability. In Italy, the willingness to accept COVID‐19 vaccination in the general population ranged from 65% to 84%, whereas the intention to get their children vaccinated is between 60% and 74.5% in parents of children aged 12–18 years (di Giuseppe et al, 2022 ; Montalti et al, 2021 ) and 65.5% in parents of 5–11 aged children (di Giuseppe et al, 2022 ). However, it is worth mentioning that such willingness rates were collected before vaccination for children under 12 was possible in Italy.…”

“…Regarding parental roles (mother vs. father), results are mixed: some studies highlighted that mothers show greater levels of vaccine hesitancy compared to fathers (Goldman et al, 2020 ; Montalti et al, 2021 ; Xu et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ), whereas other studies found the opposite (Russo et al, 2021 ). As for children's age, parents who show a greater vaccine hesitancy have generally younger children (di Giuseppe et al, 2022 ; Goldman et al, 2020 ; Montalti et al, 2021 ; Musa et al, 2021 ; Russo et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ) or children with chronic illnesses (Musa et al, 2021 ). Moreover, individual differences in parents' beliefs, attitudes, and personality characteristics might also affect the attitude toward vaccination.…”