Kohler Racquel E, Wagner Rachel B, Careaga Katherine, Vega Jacqueline, Btoush Rula, Greene Kathryn, Kantor Leslie
Center for Cancer Heath Equity, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Jun 13;11(6):1096. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11061096.
In 2019, the World Health Organization identified vaccine hesitancy as a top ten global health threat, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite local and nationwide public health efforts, adolescent COVID-19 vaccination uptake in the US remains low. This study explored parents' perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine and factors influencing hesitancy to inform future outreach and education campaigns.
We conducted two rounds of individual interviews via Zoom in May-September 2021 and January-February 2022, with parents of adolescents from the Greater Newark Area of New Jersey, a densely populated area with historically marginalized groups that had low COVID-19 vaccination uptake. Data collection and analysis was guided by the Increasing Vaccination Model and WHO Vaccine Hesitancy Matrix. Interview transcripts were double-coded and thematically analyzed in NVivo.
We interviewed 22 parents (17 in English, 5 in Spanish). Nearly half (45%) were Black and 41% were Hispanic. Over half (54%) were born outside of the US. Most of the parents described that their adolescents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. All but one parent had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite strong vaccination acceptance for themselves, parents remained hesitant about vaccinating their adolescents. They were mostly concerned about the safety and potential side effects due to the novelty of the vaccine. Parents sought information about the vaccines online, through healthcare providers and authorities, and at community spaces. Interpersonal communication exposed parents to misinformation, though some personal connections to severe COVID-19 illness motivated vaccination. Historical mistreatment by the healthcare system and politicization of the vaccine contributed to parents' mixed feelings about the trustworthiness of those involved with developing, promoting, and distributing COVID-19 vaccines.
We identified multilevel influences on COVID-19 vaccine-specific hesitancy among a racially/ethnically diverse sample of parents with adolescents that can inform future vaccination interventions. To increase vaccine confidence, future COVID booster campaigns and other vaccination efforts should disseminate information through trusted healthcare providers in clinical and also utilize community settings by addressing specific safety concerns and promoting vaccine effectiveness.
2019年，世界卫生组织将疫苗犹豫列为全球十大健康威胁之一，而新冠疫情使其进一步加剧。尽管地方和全国层面都做出了公共卫生努力，但美国青少年新冠疫苗接种率仍然很低。本研究探讨了家长对新冠疫苗的看法以及影响他们犹豫态度的因素，以为未来的推广和教育活动提供参考。
我们于2021年5月至9月以及2022年1月至2月通过Zoom进行了两轮个人访谈，访谈对象是新泽西州大纽瓦克地区青少年的家长，该地区人口密集，历史上存在边缘化群体，新冠疫苗接种率较低。数据收集和分析以“提高疫苗接种率模型”和世界卫生组织的“疫苗犹豫矩阵”为指导。访谈记录进行了双重编码，并在NVivo中进行了主题分析。
我们采访了22位家长（17位用英语，5位用西班牙语）。近一半（45%）是黑人，41%是西班牙裔。超过一半（54%）在美国以外出生。大多数家长表示他们的青少年至少接种了一剂新冠疫苗。除一位家长外，其他家长都接种了新冠疫苗。尽管家长自己对疫苗接种接受度很高，但他们对青少年接种疫苗仍犹豫不决。他们主要担心疫苗的新颖性所带来的安全性和潜在副作用。家长通过在线、医疗服务提供者和当局以及社区场所获取有关疫苗的信息。人际交流使家长接触到错误信息，不过一些与新冠重症病例的个人关联促使他们接种疫苗。医疗系统的历史虐待行为以及疫苗的政治化导致家长对参与新冠疫苗研发、推广和分发的各方的可信度有复杂的感受。
我们在一个具有种族/民族多样性的青少年家长样本中确定了对新冠疫苗特定犹豫态度的多层次影响，这可为未来的疫苗接种干预提供参考。为了提高疫苗信心，未来的新冠加强针接种活动和其他疫苗接种工作应通过值得信赖的医疗服务提供者在临床环境中传播信息，同时通过解决特定的安全问题和宣传疫苗有效性来利用社区环境。
