Search

Parents are facing tremendous stress in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccination program for children. We aimed to investigate parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 in North Kivu province, (Democratic Republic of Congo). A cross-sectional survey between 1 December 2021 to 20 January 2022 in six health zones (Goma, Karisimbi, Butembo, Beni, Kamango, and Katwa) was conducted in the province of North Kivu. In each health zone, we selected five clusters (Health area) using the method of probabilistic selection proportional to population size. In total, 522 parents participated in our study. Results: Overall, 32.8% of parents intended to vaccinate their children. In the multivariate analysis, a younger age of parents (aOR: 2.40, CI: [1.50-3.83]), a higher level of fear that "a member of my family" could contract COVID-19 (aOR: 2.35, CI: [1.38-4.02]), a higher level of perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 within the family (aOR: 1.70, CI: [1.005-2.2881]), a higher level of perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 within the family (aOR: 3.07, CI: [1.80-5.23]), and a history of vaccination against COVID-19 among parents (aOR: 16.47, CI: [8.39-32.33]), were all significantly associated with the intention of parents to have their children or adolescents vaccinated. According to the different explanatory factors of the will to have their children vaccinated, an emphasis on the health education of parents who are prone to refusal or hesitation of the vaccine, by addressing the common reasons for the refusal of the vaccine and highlight the vaccine's benefits.

This study aims to determine the intention of Chinese parents to vaccinate their children against SARS-CoV-2. Secondly, preferences for foreign- or domestically made COVID-19 vaccines were also explored. A nationwide, cross-sectional, self-administered online survey based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and new vaccine concerns was used. Participants were eligible if they were residents of China with children aged 12 years old or younger. A total of 2,026 parents responded to the survey. Half reported a probable intent (50.7%) and 26.9% reported a definite intent. The results of the data analysis of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) found that perceived cost barriers (B = -0.210, p < .001) and new vaccine concerns (B = -0.201, p < .001) had major effects in vaccination intent. Important constructs of vaccine concerns that predict vaccination intent were efficacy (B = 0.898, p < .001), followed by safety (B = 0.861, p < .001), side-effect (B = 0.806, p < .001) and faulty/fake vaccine (B = 0.579, p < .001). Perceived benefits (B = 1.81, p < .001), self-efficacy (B = 0.159, p < .001) and severity (B = 0.083, p < .01) were also significant predictors in vaccination intent. Almost two-thirds (62.0%; 95%CI 59.8 to 64.1) reported a preference for domestically made and 19.1% (95%CI 17.2 to 20.7) preferred foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that higher incomes and concern of side-effects of the new COVID-19 vaccine were two of the most important influencing factors of preference for a foreign-made vaccine. This study sheds light on the importance of addressing concerns of new vaccines and the helpfulness of HBM in understanding parental decisions toward their children being vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.