Shehab Sabine, Anouti Lina, Boutros Celina F, Radi Christelle, Baasiri Silma El, Badih Arabia, Korman Rawan, Masri Marwa El, Alwan Joudie, Monzer Maha, Bitar Yara, Kassem Mona, Naser Mayse, Salameh Yara, Khafaja Sarah, Ghosn Murielle Bou, Al Hamod Dany, Ghadban Sarah, Ghanem Soha, Dbaibo Ghassan S
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon.
Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon.
J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2025 Feb 5;15(1):15. doi: 10.1007/s44197-025-00364-3.
BACKGROUND: This observational prospective cross-sectional study was conducted during the last 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine whether parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 had improved compared to earlier studies in other countries showing high levels of hesitancy. METHODS: Parents were surveyed from January 4 until May 16, 2023, at two tertiary medical centers in Beirut, the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) and the Saint George Hospital University Medical Center (SGHUMC). RESULTS: The study enrolled 950 participants, predominantly mothers (79.6%) aged 30-49 (79%), highly educated parents (69.8% of mothers and 62.2% of fathers were university graduates). Although routine childhood vaccinations received remarkable acceptance (98.3%), there was considerable hesitancy towards pediatric COVID-19 (56.4%). Only 9.4% had vaccinated all eligible children. The main parental concern was the vaccine's safety and perceived lack of testing (p < 0.001). Other factors were parental gender, vaccination status, and children's age. In the adjusted model, mothers had a higher rate of vaccine acceptance (AOR: 1.746 [1.059-2.878], p = 0.029). Similarly, parents vaccinated against COVID-19 vaccine (AOR: 2.703, p < 0.001) and parents of children aged 12-17 (AOR: 4.450, p < 0.001) had more vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSION: This study's findings indicate a persistently high level of hesitancy for pediatric COVID-19 vaccination despite more than two years of positive global experience with the vaccine. Raising awareness about the safety and effectiveness of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination would address this hesitancy and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on children's health and well-being.
背景:这项观察性前瞻性横断面研究在新冠疫情的最后4个月进行,以确定与其他国家早期显示出高度犹豫的研究相比,父母对其子女接种新冠疫苗的犹豫态度是否有所改善。 方法:于2023年1月4日至5月16日在贝鲁特的两家三级医疗中心,即贝鲁特美国大学医疗中心(AUBMC)和圣乔治医院大学医疗中心(SGHUMC)对父母进行调查。 结果:该研究纳入了950名参与者,主要是年龄在30 - 49岁的母亲(79.6%),父母受教育程度高(69.8%的母亲和62.2%的父亲是大学毕业生)。尽管儿童常规疫苗接种获得了显著认可(98.3%),但对儿童新冠疫苗接种仍存在相当大的犹豫(56.4%)。只有9.4%的人给所有符合条件的孩子接种了疫苗。父母主要担心的是疫苗的安全性以及认为缺乏测试(p < 0.001)。其他因素包括父母性别、疫苗接种状况和孩子的年龄。在调整模型中,母亲的疫苗接受率更高(调整后比值比:1.746 [1.059 - 2.878],p = 0.029)。同样,接种过新冠疫苗的父母(调整后比值比:2.703,p < 0.001)以及12 - 17岁孩子的父母(调整后比值比:4.450,p < 0.001)的疫苗接受度更高。 结论:本研究结果表明,尽管全球在疫苗方面有两年多的积极经验,但父母对儿童新冠疫苗接种的犹豫程度仍然很高。提高对儿童新冠疫苗接种安全性和有效性的认识将解决这种犹豫态度,并减轻新冠疫情对儿童健康和福祉的影响。
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