Background and aims: Establishing a transparent and forthright dialog between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and the public is paramount in promoting the effective acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination for children. Hence, this study aimed to assess the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, knowledge, and perception among HCPs for their children.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCPs at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Western India. A structured questionnaire was designed and validated to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.
Results: The study found that more than 80% of HCPs had good knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, and 92.74% of them were willing to accept the vaccine for their children. Doctors were more likely to vaccinate their children, and 73% of HCPs had a favorable attitude toward immunizing their children if a new COVID-19 vaccine was available. Academic/peer-reviewed publications were considered the most reliable source of information for COVID-19 vaccination, followed by government sources.
Conclusion: This study found that parental vaccine hesitancy was significantly lower among the HCP group. The majority of HCPs were in favor of vaccinating their children against COVID-19, indicating that they can serve as an effective channel for promoting parental acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in the community.
Keywords: COVID‐19 vaccines; health personnel; knowledge; perception; vaccination hesitancy.
© 2024 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.