Parents' reasons to vaccinate their children aged 5-11 years against COVID-19 in Italy

Annalisa Napoli; Grazia Miraglia Del Giudice; Francesco Corea; Lucio Folcarelli; Italo Francesco Angelillo

doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.949693

Parents' reasons to vaccinate their children aged 5-11 years against COVID-19 in Italy

Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Aug 2:9:949693. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.949693. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Annalisa Napoli¹, Grazia Miraglia Del Giudice¹, Francesco Corea¹, Lucio Folcarelli¹, Italo Francesco Angelillo^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
² Department of Public Health and Laboratory Services, Teaching Hospital of the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.

Abstract

Objectives: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to investigate why parents decide to vaccinate, as well as the determinants, their children aged 5-11 years against COVID-19 in Italy.

Methods: The survey was conducted from January through May 2022. All parents/guardians who came in randomly selected days to immunization centers for the administration of the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to their child were asked to complete a questionnaire about socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes toward COVID-19 infection and vaccination, reason(s) regarding their decision to vaccinate their child, and source(s) of information.

Results: A total of 358 questionnaires were collected. Parent's perception that COVID-19 is a severe illness for the child, assessed using a 10-point Likert scale, was 7.5. The overall mean scores of the risk perception for their child of having the COVID-19 before and after the vaccination were 8.1 and 6.3. A significantly higher parents' level of risk perception for their child of having the COVID-19 after the vaccination has been observed among those not having a university degree, those with the child having at least one chronic medical condition, and those who perceived that COVID-19 is a severe illness for the child. The mean value of respondent trust in the information provided by the pediatricians on a 10-point scale Likert type was 7.6. Female, not having a university degree, higher perception that COVID-19 is a severe disease, not having received information about the vaccination from pediatricians, and needing information had a significantly higher concern of side effects after the vaccination. The most common reasons for vaccinating their children included wanting to protect the child against COVID-19, to attend the school with less risk, to prevent the transmission to family members, and to practice sport and other activities with less risks. Participants with a university degree were more likely to have vaccinated their child for attending the school and practicing sport and other activities with less risks.

Conclusions: More publicity should be promoted among parents of children aged 5-11 years which would increase the coverage rates and thus lower the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and reduce the occurrence of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Italy; children; parents; reasons; vaccination.