Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Dec 31;19(1):2171185. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2171185. Epub 2023 Jan 25.
In May 2021, the Italian government extended the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to 12- to 18-year-old subjects and, starting December 2021, vaccines were also offered to children between 5 and 11 years-old. Despite these efforts, suboptimal vaccination coverages are reported. The purpose of this review is to estimate the proportion of parents/caregivers of children and adolescents expressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Italy. The vaccine hesitation rate among parents of minors was 55.1% (95%CI: 43.8-66.1%). A higher value was evidenced in studies focusing on children (59.9%; 95%CI = 43.7-75.1%) compared to the ones focusing on adolescents (51.3%; 95%CI = 34.5-68.0%). The main reasons for unwillingness were the belief that the vaccine was unsafe or ineffective, fear of adverse events, and considering COVID-19 a non-threatening disease. The implementation of effective communication campaigns and health educational programs on safe pediatric vaccinations is essential to support strategies to bolster vaccination confidence.
2021 年 5 月，意大利政府将 COVID-19 疫苗接种运动扩大到 12 至 18 岁的人群，并且从 2021 年 12 月开始，也向 5 至 11 岁的儿童提供疫苗。尽管做出了这些努力，但报告称疫苗接种覆盖率仍然不理想。本综述旨在评估意大利儿童和青少年的父母/照顾者对 COVID-19 疫苗犹豫不决的比例。未成年人父母的疫苗犹豫率为 55.1%（95%CI：43.8-66.1%）。在关注儿童的研究中，这一数值更高（59.9%；95%CI=43.7-75.1%），而在关注青少年的研究中则更低（51.3%；95%CI=34.5-68.0%）。不愿意接种的主要原因是认为疫苗不安全或无效、担心不良反应，以及认为 COVID-19 不是一种威胁性疾病。实施有效的沟通宣传活动和关于安全儿童疫苗接种的健康教育计划，对于支持增强疫苗接种信心的策略至关重要。
