JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 epidemic and containment strategies may affect personal behaviors.

Objective:

To assess the change in children and adolescents’ prevention and vaccination behaviors amid China’s COVID-19 epidemic.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional online survey in mid-March 2020 using proportional quota sampling in Wuhan (the epicenter) and Shanghai (a non-epicenter). Data were collected from 1,655 parents with children aged 3-17 years. Children and adolescents’ prevention and vaccination behaviors before and during the epidemic were assessed.

Results:

Parent-reported prevention behaviors increased among the children and adolescents, with 82.2% always wearing masks when going out and having increased the frequency and duration of handwashing and only 46.9% of children and adolescents going out during the COVID-19 epidemic. Meanwhile, 56.1% of the families took unproven measures against COVID-19. Parent-reported vaccination behaviors showed mixed results, with 74.8% delaying scheduled vaccines and 80.9% planning to have their children get the influenza vaccine after the epidemic. By socioeconomic status, those children and adolescents from larger families and whose parents having lower education levels were less likely to improve prevention behaviors but more likely to take unproven measures. Girls were less likely to always wear a mask when going out and wash hands than boys.

Conclusions:

Prevention behaviors and attitudes toward influenza vaccine have been improved during the COVID-19 epidemic. Public health prevention measures should be continuously promoted, particularly among girls and the lower educated and larger families. Meanwhile, misinformation about COVID-19 remains a serious challenge and needs to be addressed by public health stakeholders.