Social Welfare Management Research Center, Social Health Research Institute, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Science, Tehran, Iran.
PLoS One. 2024 May 9;19(5):e0303043. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303043. eCollection 2024.
The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant risks to children worldwide. This study aimed to assess the COVID-19 protection status of children and explored the relationship between household socio-economic status and COVID-19 morbidity and preventive measures, including vaccination and mask-wearing, in two cities in Iran.
A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2022 among 7 to 18-year-old children and their families in Tehran and Karaj. A total of 3,022 samples were selected using stratified multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected through interviews with children and adults, using questionnaires and was analyzed with Stata software version 14.
The analysis focused on 2,878 children with a median age of 12. Over half (54%) reported that the pandemic negatively affected their family's financial status, with 45% describing its impact on children's needs as negative or very negative. Just under 50% of respondents consistently wore masks during the study period, and around 54% had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for not getting vaccinated included concerns about side effects, ineligibility for the target age group, and overcrowding at vaccination sites. The odds of not getting vaccinated were significantly lower for children aged 15-18, with boys more likely to refuse vaccination than girls.
The financial impact of the pandemic in Iran affected families' ability to meet their children's needs. Moreover, low vaccination acceptance rates increased children's vulnerability to health problems and contributed to COVID-19 infections. Efforts should be made to increase vaccination acceptance, particularly among immigrant populations.
COVID-19 大流行给全球儿童带来了重大风险。本研究旨在评估儿童的 COVID-19 保护状况，并探讨伊朗两个城市家庭社会经济地位与 COVID-19 发病率和预防措施（包括接种疫苗和戴口罩）之间的关系。
2022 年 7 月至 10 月，在德黑兰和卡拉季，对 7 至 18 岁儿童及其家庭进行了一项基于人群的横断面研究。采用分层多阶段聚类抽样方法共抽取了 3022 个样本。通过对儿童和成人进行访谈，使用问卷收集数据，并使用 Stata 软件版本 14 进行分析。
分析集中于 2878 名儿童，中位数年龄为 12 岁。超过一半（54%）的人报告称大流行对其家庭的财务状况产生了负面影响，其中 45%的人将其对儿童需求的影响描述为负面或非常负面。略低于 50%的受访者在研究期间一直戴口罩，约 54%的人至少接种了一剂 COVID-19 疫苗。未接种疫苗的原因包括对副作用的担忧、不符合目标年龄组的资格以及接种点拥挤。15-18 岁儿童未接种疫苗的可能性显著降低，男孩比女孩更有可能拒绝接种疫苗。
伊朗大流行的财务影响影响了家庭满足子女需求的能力。此外，低疫苗接种率增加了儿童易患健康问题的风险，并导致 COVID-19 感染。应努力提高疫苗接种率，特别是在移民群体中。
