1. Caregiver acceptance of an anticipated COVID-19 vaccination.
- Author
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Marquez, Ronnie R., Gosnell, Elizabeth S., Thikkurissy, S., Schwartz, Scott B., and Cully, Jennifer L.
- Subjects
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VACCINATION , *PARENT attitudes , *CAREGIVER attitudes , *IMMUNIZATION , *ACADEMIC medical centers , *COVID-19 vaccines , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *ORAL health , *DENTAL care , *PEDIATRICS , *HEALTH attitudes , *METROPOLITAN areas , *COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
The world is hopeful a vaccine will help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors conducted a hospital-based study using a questionnaire to examine parental acceptance of an anticipated COVID-19 vaccination. A 41-item questionnaire using the Health Belief Model was administered to caregivers of children receiving oral health care in a dental clinic in an urban pediatric teaching hospital. Demographic, health-seeking, and health-behavior questions were assessed. A total of 39.2% of caregivers would not allow their child to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Whereas 27.8% of caregivers agreed that if their physician recommends a COVID-19 vaccination, they will allow their child to receive it, 52.2% said that a health care professional could influence this decision. Dentists, intimately aware of the suggested risks of aerosol-generating procedures, can play a critical role in educating the public about the importance of accepting a COVID-19 vaccine. Dentists are in a unique position to discuss and advocate for vaccine acceptance. If a COVID-19 vaccine is not widely accepted, risks associated with performing aerosol-generating procedures will remain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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