Parental attitudes towards vaccination against COVID-19 of children 5-11 years old in Greece

Abstract

Rationale: Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is critical to contain the ongoing pandemic.

Aims/objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess parents' and caregivers' intention to vaccinate their 5-11 years old children against COVID-19 and to estimate the association between vaccination intention and sociodemographic, clinical and contextual factors.

Method: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey on a convenience sample of parents in Patras, Western Greece.

Results: Out of 366 study participants, around 48% reported their intention to vaccinate their child. The main factors associated with positive attitudes were paediatrician recommendation, parental vaccination, and reliance on the healthcare providers for decision making. Of note, 80% of the 190 parents who did not intend to vaccinate their children would vaccinate them if the paediatrician recommended it.

Conclusion: Interventions to further train healthcare professionals to establish rapport with parents, and to provide adequate information about vaccinations are crucial to address concerns related to COVID-19 vaccine benefits for children.

Keywords: COVID-19; attitudes; child; parents; vaccination; vaccine hesitancy.