Affiliations 

  • 1 Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Allied Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
  • 2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia
  • 4 Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • 5 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden muhammad-hammad.butt.7587@student.uu.se
  • 6 Department of Public Health Pharmacy and Management, School of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa
BMJ Open, 2024 Dec 10;14(12):e086877.
PMID: 39658278 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086877

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined parental experiences with COVID-19 vaccination and factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (CVH) among them to help guide future policy initiatives.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

SETTING: Lahore, the second largest metropolis in Pakistan.

PARTICIPANTS: This study was conducted among parents residing in Lahore from March to April 2023. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were collected using a prevalidated questionnaire that consisted of four sections: (1) informed consent, (2) demographic details, (3) COVID-19 vaccine uptake in children aged 5-17 years, parents' experience with childhood COVID-19 vaccination and their intention to vaccinate their unvaccinated children and (4) a modified 5C scale tailored to determine parents' confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation and collective responsibility with regard to COVID-19 vaccination.

RESULTS: This study included 414 parents (median age=37 years; mothers=62%). COVID-19 vaccination rates for children in the age groups 12-17 years and 5-11 years were 72.5% and 30.1%, respectively. Transient adverse events following immunisation were reported by 32.7% of parents. Of parents with unvaccinated children aged 12-17 years, only 35% intended to vaccinate them. The majority of parents were not willing to vaccinate their children below 11 years of age. Parents with a self-reported positive history of COVID-19 disease (OR=2.531, p=0.016), and confident in the vaccine's safety and efficacy (OR=1.968, p=0.010), were more inclined to vaccinate their 5-11 years. In terms of vaccination of children below 5 years, confidence in the vaccine (OR=2.942, p=0.003) and a sense of collective responsibility were positive predictors (OR=2.260, p=0.035), while calculation was identified as a negative predictor of parents' intention to vaccinate their under 5 years (OR=0.421, p=0.018).

CONCLUSION: CVH was significantly higher among parents of children aged 5-11 years and children younger than 5 years old. Priority should be given by health authorities to address parental concerns about vaccines and ensure that parents understand the significance of vaccination in protecting their children, to increase vaccination rates. This is because hesitancy towards one specific vaccine can negatively impact hesitancy rates in general.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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