Background Parental attitudes towards the vaccines play a key role in the success of the herd immunity for the COVID-19. Psychological health seemed to be a controversial determinant of vaccine hesitancy and remained to be investigated. This study attempted to measure parental psychological distress, attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine, and to explore the potential associations. Methods An online survey using convenience sampling method was conducted among parents within the school public health network of Shenzhen. Demographic information and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination were collected. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) was applied to measure psychological distress. Results Overall, 4,748 parents were included (average age: 40.28, standard deviation: 5.08). More than one fifth of them demonstrated psychological distress, in which only 3.3% were moderate to severe symptom. The proportions of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for themselves, their spouses, and their children were 25.2%, 26.1%, and 27.3%, respectively. Parents with psychological distress were more likely to suffer vaccine hesitancy for themselves (OR: 1.277, 95%CI: 1.091∼1.494), for their spouses (OR:1.276, 95%CI: 1.088∼1.496) and children (OR:1.274, 95%CI: 1.092∼1.486). These associations tended to be more significant among parents with mild or severe psychological distress. Limitation Non-random sampling limited the generalization of our findings to all parents. Conclusion Parents had a low level of psychological distress but relatively high willingness of COVID-19 vaccination when there was no local epidemic but persistent risk of imported cases. Targeted health education and intervention strategies should be provided to people with vaccine hesitancy, especially for those who were susceptible to psychological distress.

BackgroundThe mpox (monkeypox) outbreak has been declared to be a public health emergency of international concern by the Director-General of World Health Organization in July 2022. However, evidence regarding the awareness, knowledge, and worry about mpox in the general population remains scant.MethodsA community-based survey targeting community residents was preliminarily conducted in Shenzhen, China in August 2022 by using a convenience sampling method. Information on mpox-related awareness, knowledge, and worry was collected from each participant. Binary logistic regression analyses with the stepwise procedure were applied to explore the factors associated with awareness, knowledge, and worry about mpox.ResultsA total of 1028 community residents were included in the analysis (mean age: 34.70 years). Among these participants, 77.9% had ever heard of mpox, and 65.3% were aware of the global outbreak of mpox. However, only about half of them had a high level of knowledge regarding mpox (56.5%) and related symptoms (49.7%). More than one-third of them (37.1%) expressed a high level of worry about mpox. Having high knowledge levels of mpox and related symptoms were positively associated with a high level of worry (OR: 1.79, 95%CI: 1.22~2.63 for a single high knowledge level; OR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.47~2.66 for both high knowledge levels).ConclusionsThis study identified the gaps in public awareness and specific knowledge of mpox in Chinese people, providing scientific evidence for the prevention and control network of mpox at the community level. Targeted health education programs are of urgent need, which should be implemented along with psychological interventions to release public worry if necessary.