Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal in Parents

Abstract

Objective: The frequency of vaccine refusal, which is associated with many factors, is increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to predict the frequency of vaccine refusal against domestic and foreign COVID-19 vaccines and identify the factors underlying refusal. Methods: A survey consisting of 16 questions about COVID-19 vaccination was conducted either face-to-face or online with 428 parents who agreed to participate in the study. The parents had children who were inpatients or outpatients in the Children's Hospital of Ankara City Hospital. In the survey, parents were asked about family sociodemographic characteristics, opinions on domestic and foreign COVID-19 vaccines, and reasons for vaccine refusal. Results: While 66.1% of parents were reluctant to receive foreign COVID-19 vaccines, only 37.4% were reluctant to receive domestic COVID-19 vaccines. The participants' preference for the domestic vaccine was significantly higher for themselves and their children (P < 0.05). Women were less likely to be willing to receive foreign vaccines than men (P < 0.05). As the education level increased, fewer parents preferred the domestic vaccine for themselves (P = 0.046) and their children (P = 0.005). Both domestic and foreign vaccine acceptability for parents and their children was higher among parents with high anxiety levels regarding COVID-19 infection (P < 0.05). The most common reasons for refusal were anxiety about vaccine side effects, lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of vaccines, and distrust of vaccines originating from abroad. Conclusion: Most of the participants were hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines. This study demonstrates that vaccine uptake can be increased by considering the higher preference for domestic vaccines.

Parental psychological distress and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination: A cross-sectional survey in Shenzhen, China

“…Of notable importance, over 70% of the respondents in our survey reported a positive attitude to get COVID-19 vaccination for themselves, their spouses and children. This vaccination willingness was much higher than those among parents in England (55.8% for themselves and 48.2% for children) ( Bell et al, 2020 ), Turkey (33.9%-62.6% for themselves, 28.9%-56.8% for children) ( Yigit et al, 2021 ), Kuwait (44.2% for children) ( AlHajri et al, 2021 ), and multinational surveys (65.0%-69.2%for children) ( Goldman et al, 2020 ; Skjefte et al, 2021 ), but lower than that in Italy (over 90% for children) ( Pierantoni et al, 2021 ). Despite the difference of study sites, the willingness to vaccinate children in our survey were in line with a previous survey among factory workers in Shenzhen (72.6%) ( Zhang et al, 2020 ).…”

Tinnitus following COVID-19 vaccination: report of three cases

“…Nevertheless, unlike drugs, problems arising from vaccine administration are frequently less accepted by the general population. Although benefits of vaccination clearly outweigh the risks, fear of adverse reactions (real or perceived) may deter many people from adherence to the vaccination campaign (Yigit, Ozkaya-Parlakay, and Senel 2021). The World Health Organization updated guidelines defined 5 types of adverse events following immunisation: (i) vaccine product-related reaction; (ii) vaccine quality defect-related reaction; (iii) immunisation error-related reaction; (iv) immunisation anxiety-related reaction; and (v) coincidental event (WHO 2018).…”

Parental Perspectives on Immunizations: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Childhood Vaccine Hesitancy

“…The majority of vaccine hesitancy literature during the pandemic has been devoted to hesitancy in adults about COVID-19 vaccination for adults. In our review, we found only two publications studying parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for their children: Yigit et al reported that 56.8% would vaccinate their child with a domestic COVID-19 vaccine [8] and Rhodes et al noted parental unwillingness to vaccinate their child with the COVID-19 vaccine [9]. We found only one study on the influence of the pandemic on influenza vaccine hesitancy: Goldman et al showed that higher level of caregiver concern about having COVID-19 was associated with increased intent to vaccinate against influenza [10].…”