Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
Mattapan Community Health Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug 1;19(2):2225388. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2225388.
Rises in parental vaccine hesitancy, observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, threaten public health. This is especially concerning for vaccines not typically required for school-entry, such as the vaccines for COVID-19 and human papillomavirus (HPV), both of which also have much lower rates of completion compared to other adolescent vaccines. Pediatricians are well-positioned to address vaccine hesitancy and can offer insights into parents' perspectives in this area. There is evidence that pediatricians' sharing their own vaccine stories may help to address parents' concerns; yet we have little information on pediatricians' or their children's COVID-19 vaccine uptake. To address these gaps, we conducted a cross-sectional survey about Massachusetts pediatricians' behaviors and perspectives on vaccines that face significant resistance: HPV and COVID-19 vaccines. A total of 144 people initiated the survey, and 109 participants were eligible and completed the survey. Participants reported high levels of COVID-19 vaccine uptake for themselves (97%) and their children (98%). Similarities in parents' resistance toward both vaccines were identified: fear of side effects; general vaccine resistance. Pediatricians reported a rise in vaccine hesitancy since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should focus on identifying strategies to build overall vaccine confidence and streamline these efforts for pediatricians.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间,父母对接种疫苗的犹豫情绪有所上升,这威胁着公共卫生。这对于那些通常不需要入学的疫苗(如 COVID-19 疫苗和人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)疫苗)来说尤其令人担忧,这两种疫苗的接种完成率也明显低于其他青少年疫苗。儿科医生在解决疫苗犹豫问题方面具有得天独厚的优势,可以深入了解家长在这方面的看法。有证据表明,儿科医生分享自己的疫苗接种经历可能有助于解决家长的担忧;然而,我们对儿科医生及其子女的 COVID-19 疫苗接种率知之甚少。为了解决这些差距,我们对马萨诸塞州儿科医生在面临重大阻力的疫苗方面的行为和观点进行了一项横断面调查:HPV 疫苗和 COVID-19 疫苗。共有 144 人开始了这项调查,有 109 名符合条件的参与者完成了调查。参与者报告了自己(97%)和孩子(98%)接种 COVID-19 疫苗的高比例。还发现了家长对接种这两种疫苗的抵抗力相似之处:对副作用的恐惧;普遍的疫苗抵抗。儿科医生报告称,自 COVID-19 大流行开始以来,疫苗犹豫情绪有所上升。未来的研究应重点确定增强整体疫苗信心的策略,并为儿科医生简化这些工作。