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Halonen, Alex

University of British Columbia

The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted challenges of implementing mass immunization programs for a novel vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine uptake in British Columbia (B.C.) was significantly lower in populations of children under 12 when compared with adults. Vaccine hesitancy, an emerging public health threat, was identified as a potential key contributor to the challenges faced in COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The World Health Organization (WHO) Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) was modified for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in B.C. from October to December 2021 to understand COVID-19 vaccine intentions and perceptions of parents of children under the age of 12. We used logistic regression models to assess factors associated with parental vaccine hesitancy and to explore the relationship between a parent’s intention to vaccinate their child with a COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine hesitancy. Findings suggested about one-half of parents included in the study were vaccine hesitant for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines. The number of children under 12 in the household, healthcare provider (HCP) vaccine recommendation, parent COVID-19 vaccine status, and child influenza immunization history were identified as significant predictors of pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. A statistically significant relationship between parents’ intentions to vaccinate their child and vaccine hesitancy was found, indicating application of the scale could be of clinical significance. The findings from this study identified target parent groups with increased vaccine hesitancy for the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. The factors influencing vaccine decision-making identified in this study could provide avenues for ongoing COVID-19 vaccine promotion among parents or for a future public health crisis requiring an emergent introduction of a novel pediatric vaccine. The findings from this study also support the use of the VHS as a clinical tool to screen for vaccine hesitancy, allowing for a more strategic implementation of vaccine- promotion resources.

Text

2024-04-15

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87803

Nursing

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/