Prevalence, Parents’ Hesitancy, and Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Among Children: A Multi-Country Study From the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Abstract

Background: Huge efforts are being made to control the spread and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic using vaccines. However, willingness to be vaccinated depends on factors beyond the availability of vaccines. The aim of this study was three-folded: to assess the prevalence of children’s vaccination against COVID-19, to explore parents’ attitudes towards children’s vaccination, and to discover the factors associated with parents’ hesitancy towards children’s vaccination in several countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design. A sample of 3744 parents from eight countries, namely, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was conveniently approached and surveyed using Google forms. The participants have responded to a 42-item questionnaire pertaining to socio-demographics, children vaccination status, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, and attitudes towards vaccinating children and the vaccine itself. Results: The prevalence of vaccinated children against COVID-19 was 32% as indicated by the parents. Concerning parents’ attitudes towards vaccines safety, about one third of participants (32.5%) believe that all vaccines are not safe. In the regression analysis, children’s vaccination was significantly correlated with parents’ age, education, occupation, parents’ previous COVID-19 infection, and their vaccination status. Participants aged ≥50 years and those aged 40-50 years had an odds ratio of 17.9 (OR=17.9, CI: 11.16-28.97) and 13.2 (OR=13.2, CI: 8.42-20.88); respectively, for vaccinating their children compared to those aged 18-29 years. Parents who had COVID-19 vaccine were about five folds more likely to vaccinate their children compared with parents who did not receive the vaccine (OR=4.9, CI: 3.12-7.70). The prevalence of children’s vaccination in the participating Arab countries is still not promising. Conclusion: To encourage parents, vaccinate their children against COVID-19, Arab governments should strategize accordingly. Reassurance of the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine should target the general population using educational campaigns, social media, and official TV and radio channels.

The effects of parents' vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccine literacy on attitudes toward vaccinating their children during the pandemic

“…The fact that most children have the disease with mild symptoms and are not severely affected by it creates the perception that they do not need to be vaccinated. In addition, the closure of schools during the pandemic period may have reduced the risk of disease in children, which may have created the perception that the risk status of children is low and that there is no need for vaccination ( Gendler & Ofri, 2021 ; Khatatbeh et al, 2022 ). In our study, 31% of the parents reported that their children over the age of 12 had had the COVID-19 vaccine.…”