Determinants of parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 in China.

Zhang, Mei-Xian; Lin, Xiao-Qing; Chen, Yan; Tung, Tao-Hsin; Zhu, Jian-Sheng

BACKGROUND Vaccine hesitancy seriously hinders herd immunity. We explored the determinants of parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. METHODS A population-based self-administered online questionnaire evaluating parental hesitancy in vaccinating their children against COVID-19 was conducted in Taizhou, China. Of the 2463 parents who received the invitation, 1788 (72.6%) responded to the survey. RESULTS Of all parents, 52.5% were hesitant to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Mothers exhibited a greater proportion of vaccine hesitancy than fathers did (57.5% vs. 41.7%, P<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that parents with children under 18 years of age (OR=0.94, 95%CI: 0.90-0.99), lower scores of knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination (Q1: OR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.37-2.69; Q2: OR=1.51, 95%CI: 1.10-2.08), lower awareness of the permission of vaccinating children (OR=1.74, 95%CI: 1.36-2.23) and hesitancy to inoculate themselves (OR=8.18, 95%CI: 6.48-10.33) were associated with the risk of parental hesitancy to inoculate their children with COVID-19 vaccine. Results also revealed the disparity between fathers and mothers regarding associated factors. CONCLUSION This study found that a substantial proportion of parents reported being hesitant to vaccinate children against COVID-19, implying the necessity of comprehensive assessment and health education programs for vaccination systems in China.