Parinyarux Pantira, Sunkonkit Kanokkarn, Yotsombut Kitiyot
Department of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
J Pharm Policy Pract. 2022 Oct 6;15(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s40545-022-00455-7.
To promote an acceptance rate of COVID-19 immunization among Thai children, concerns about parental vaccination hesitancy should be urgently studied. This study aimed to examine the parental COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy (PVh) level and influencing factors among Thai parents of children 5-18 years of age.
This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Thailand during May and June of 2022. The Google forms for data collection were distributed to parents (a father, a mother, or one who nurtures and raises a child) via various online social media. Data regarding PVh level, relevant attitudes, experiences of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination (EC&V), and family contexts (FC) were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the differences among groups of parents based on EC&V and FC. The factors influencing PVh were assessed by multiple regression analysis.
Four hundred and eighty-eight parents completed the online questionnaire. Their median (IQR) age was 41 (35-47) years. They lived in different provinces from all regions across Thailand. Ninety percent of them were authorized persons to make decision about children vaccination. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents had vaccine hesitancy, defined as PVh level at moderate or above. Parents who had ever refused COVID-19 vaccination for themselves or refused to vaccinate their children against any other diseases had statistically significant higher levels of PVh (p value < 0.001). Conversely, the parents who had finished the initial COVID-19 vaccine had lower PVh levels with statistical significance (p value = 0.001). Attitude towards COVID-19 (AC), attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine (AV), and perceived behavioral control (PC) of the parents negatively influenced PVh with statistical significance, according to the results of the multiple regression analysis (Betas = - 0.307, - 0.123, and - 0.232, respectively).
COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy was commonly found among Thai parents. The factors of the hesitancy were multifaceted. Different experiences regarding COVID-19 vaccination for themselves and any vaccinations for their children were associated with different PVhs. The attitudes especially AC, AV, and PC statistically influenced PVh. These findings should be exploited for national and local policy planning as well as public campaigns.
为提高泰国儿童的新冠疫苗接种率，应紧急研究家长对疫苗接种的犹豫态度。本研究旨在调查泰国5至18岁儿童家长对新冠疫苗接种的犹豫程度（PVh）及其影响因素。
2022年5月至6月在泰国进行了这项横断面调查。通过各种在线社交媒体向家长（父亲、母亲或养育孩子的人）分发用于数据收集的谷歌表格。收集并使用描述性统计分析有关PVh水平、相关态度、新冠疫情及新冠疫苗接种经历（EC&V）和家庭背景（FC）的数据。采用曼-惠特尼U检验比较基于EC&V和FC的家长组之间的差异。通过多元回归分析评估影响PVh的因素。
488名家长完成了在线问卷。他们的年龄中位数（四分位间距）为41（35-47）岁。他们居住在泰国各地不同省份。其中90%是有权决定儿童疫苗接种的人员。58%的受访者存在疫苗犹豫，定义为PVh水平为中等或以上。曾拒绝为自己接种新冠疫苗或拒绝为孩子接种任何其他疫苗的家长，其PVh水平在统计学上显著更高（p值<0.001）。相反，完成了新冠疫苗初始接种的家长PVh水平较低，具有统计学意义（p值=0.001）。多元回归分析结果显示，家长对新冠疫情的态度（AC）、对新冠疫苗的态度（AV）和感知行为控制（PC）对PVh有显著负面影响（β值分别为-0.307、-0.123和-0.232）。
泰国家长中普遍存在对新冠疫苗接种的犹豫态度。犹豫因素是多方面的。家长自身新冠疫苗接种以及孩子任何疫苗接种的不同经历与不同的PVh相关。态度尤其是AC、AV和PC在统计学上对PVh有影响。这些发现应用于国家和地方政策规划以及公共宣传活动。
