Parental and Pediatricians' Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination for Children: Results from Nationwide Samples in Greece

• Main Authors: Evangelia Steletou (Author), Theodoros Giannouchos (Author), Ageliki Karatza (Author), Xenophon Sinopidis (Author), Aggeliki Vervenioti (Author), Kyriakos Souliotis (Author), Gabriel Dimitriou (Author), Despoina Gkentzi (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-08-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Although many studies have examined factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination and healthcare professionals' attitudes towards vaccines, less is known about parents' and pediatricians' attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination for children. Using two cross-sectional surveys from November to December 2021 in Greece, we aimed to assess parental intention to vaccinate their 5 to 17 years old children against COVID-19 and to evaluate pediatricians' attitudes towards children's vaccination against COVID-19. Overall, 439 parents and 135 pediatricians participated. Of them, 240 (54.7%) intended to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. The most commonly reported reasons for non-intention were the short length of clinical trials and the fear of side effects. Only 16.6% of non-intenders would vaccinate their children if the pediatrician recommended it. The factors associated with higher intention to get vaccinated were a parent's own vaccination against COVID-19, trust in official healthcare guidelines, increased trust in the state and the healthcare system during the pandemic, and older age. Of the pediatricians, 92.6% recommended children's vaccination, and 75.6% agreed with mandating the vaccine. These findings suggest the need to tailor easy-to-understand messages by well-informed pediatricians to address safety concerns, educate, and clarify misconceptions through targeted interventions among those who currently do not wish to vaccinate their children.

Item Description

10.3390/children9081211
2227-9067