Predictors of Real-World Parents’ Acceptance to Vaccinate Their Children Against the COVID-19
Research papers
Petros Galanis
Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Irene Vraka
Department of Radiology, P & A Kyriakou Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece
Olga Siskou
University of Piraeus, Greece
Olympia Konstantakopoulou
Center for Health Services Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Aglaia Katsiroumpa
Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Ioannis Moisoglou
Pulmonary Clinic, General Hospital of Lamia, Lamia, Greece
Daphne Kaitelidou
Center for Health Services Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Published 2022-07-26
https://doi.org/10.15388/Amed.2021.29.1.4
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Keywords

COVID-19
parents
vaccine uptake
children
Greece

How to Cite

1.
Galanis P, Vraka I, Siskou O, Konstantakopoulou O, Katsiroumpa A, Moisoglou I, et al. Predictors of Real-World Parents’ Acceptance to Vaccinate Their Children Against the COVID-19. AML [Internet]. 2022 Jul. 26 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];29(1):33-4. Available from: https://www.journals.vu.lt/AML/article/view/25018

Abstract

 Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten public health, the vaccination of children against the disease appears to be a key factor to control the pandemic. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of parents who have vaccinated their children against the COVID-19 and the factors influencing this decision.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional study in Greece during the first week of September 2021. The study questionnaire was distributed through social media and a convenience sample was obtained. Only parents with children aged 12–17 years old could participate in the study. We collected socio-demographic data of parents and we measured their attitudes towards vaccination and COVID-19 pandemic.
Results: Study population included 656 parents. Regarding vaccination, 27.1% of parents had their children vaccinated against the COVID-19, while almost all children had a complete vaccination history (98.9%). The most important reasons for decline of COVID-19 vaccination were doubts about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (45.3%) and fear of side effects (36.6%). Regarding the information about the COVID-19 vaccines, parents showed more trust in family doctors than in scientists and the government. We found that increased parents’ age, increased trust in COVID-19 vaccines, and positive attitude of parents towards vaccination had a positive effect on children’s vaccination.
Conclusions: Understanding the factors influencing parents’ decision to vaccinate their children against the COVID-19 is crucial to increase the COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate. Implementation of public health policies is necessary to spread knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and to regain vaccine confidence.

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