Factors influencing Thai parents' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for their children: Vaccine attitudes, beliefs, and children's past influenza vaccination.

This study assessed parents' vaccine attitudes, beliefs, and children's past influenza vaccination and determined their influence on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for children under 10 years. An online cross-sectional study was conducted in Thailand. A sample of 973 Thai parents with children between 6 months and under 10 years was used for data analysis. Results showed that 98.6% of parents reported receiving COVID-19 vaccination, but only 51.3% would accept COVID-19 vaccine for their children. Regression analyses showed that parent's age, trust in health professionals, beliefs in COVID-19 vaccine safety, opinions that children should also be vaccinated, negative attitudes about vaccination, willingness to pay for the vaccines, and children's age were associated with parents' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for their children. Although the children's past influenza vaccination showed a significant association with parents' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for their children in univariate analysis, it was not retained in the multivariate multinomial logistic regression model. Parents should receive vital information from health professionals about the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccination to increase its acceptance for children. The results will benefit future planning for vaccination programs for children when both the COVID-19 vaccine and annual influenza vaccine are recommended as essential immunizations for children

Background

Parental acceptance plays an important role in childhood COVID-19 vaccination, but factors underlying vaccine acceptance in Thailand remain insufficiently understood. This study assessed parents' vaccine attitudes, beliefs, preference to choose, willingness to pay for COVID-19 vaccine, and children's past influenza vaccination and examined their influence on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for their children aged 6 months to <10 years.

Methods

An online cross-sectional study was conducted in Thailand. A sample of 973 Thai parents with children aged 6 months to <10 years was used for data analysis using multivariate multinomial logistic regression.

Results

Results showed that 98.6% of parents reported receiving COVID-19 vaccination, but only 51.3% would accept COVID-19 vaccine for their children. Univariate multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that parent's age, trust in health professionals, beliefs in COVID-19 vaccine safety, opinions that children should also be vaccinated, negative attitudes about vaccination, willingness to pay for the vaccines, and children's age were associated with parents' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for their children. The final multivariate model included children's age, beliefs in vaccine safety, trust in health professionals, opinions that children should also be vaccinated, negative attitudes about vaccination, and willingness to pay for the vaccines. Although the children's past influenza vaccination showed a significant association with parents' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for their children in univariate analysis, it was not retained in the multivariate multinomial logistic regression model.

Conclusions

Parents should receive vital information from health professionals about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccination to increase its acceptance for children. The results will benefit future planning for vaccination programs for children when both the COVID-19 vaccine and annual influenza vaccine are recommended as essential immunizations for children.