Al-Qerem Walid, Jarab Anan, Hammad Alaa, Alasmari Fawaz, Ling Jonathan, Alsajri Alaa Hussein, Al-Hishma Shadan Waleed, Abu Heshmeh Shrouq R
Department of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman 11733, Jordan.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 3030, Jordan.
Vaccines (Basel). 2022 May 22;10(5):820. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10050820.
The focus of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaigns has been the adult population, particularly the elderly and those with chronic diseases. However, COVID-19 can also affect children and adolescents. Furthermore, targeting this population can accelerate the attainment of herd immunity. The aim of the current study was to evaluate parental intentions to vaccinate their children and the variables associated with them. An online questionnaire was circulated via generic Iraqi Facebook groups to explore parental intentions regarding the vaccination of their children. Multinomial regression analysis was conducted to evaluate variables associated with parental vaccination acceptance. A total of 491 participants completed the study questionnaire. Only 38.3% of the participants were willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, while the rest either refused to vaccinate their children (35.6%) or were unsure whether they would (26.1%). Participants’ perceptions about the effectiveness (OR = 0.726, 95% CI = 0.541−0.975, p = 0.033) and safety (OR = 0.435, 95% CI = 0.330−0.574, p < 0.0001) of COVID-19 vaccines were significantly associated with parental acceptance of having children vaccinated. Participants who had received or who were planning to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were significantly less likely to reject vaccinating their children (OR = 0.156, 95% CI = 0.063−0.387, p < 0.0001). There is high refusal/hesitancy among Iraqi parents to vaccinate their children, which is associated with concerns related to the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. More efforts, including educational and awareness campaigns to promote the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, should be made to increase parental acceptance of childhood COVID-19 vaccinations in Iraq.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）疫苗接种运动的重点一直是成年人群体，尤其是老年人和患有慢性病的人。然而，COVID-19也会影响儿童和青少年。此外，针对这一人群可以加速实现群体免疫。本研究的目的是评估父母为其子女接种疫苗的意愿以及与之相关的变量。通过伊拉克普通Facebook群组发放了一份在线问卷，以探讨父母为其子女接种疫苗的意愿。进行了多项回归分析，以评估与父母接种疫苗接受度相关的变量。共有491名参与者完成了研究问卷。只有38.3%的参与者愿意为其子女接种COVID-19疫苗，其余参与者要么拒绝为其子女接种疫苗（35.6%），要么不确定是否会接种（26.1%）。参与者对COVID-19疫苗有效性（比值比=0.726，95%置信区间=0.541−0.975，p=0.033）和安全性（比值比=0.435，95%置信区间=0.330−0.574，p<0.0001）的看法与父母接受子女接种疫苗显著相关。已经接种或计划接种COVID-19疫苗的参与者拒绝为其子女接种疫苗的可能性显著降低（比值比=0.156，95%置信区间=0.063−0.387，p<0.0001）。伊拉克父母中拒绝/犹豫为其子女接种疫苗的比例很高，这与对COVID-19疫苗安全性和有效性的担忧有关。应做出更多努力，包括开展教育和宣传活动以提高COVID-19疫苗的安全性和有效性，以提高伊拉克父母对儿童COVID-19疫苗接种的接受度。
