Intent among Parents to Vaccinate Children before Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations, Minnesota and Los Angeles County, California—May–September 2021
Kara A. Suvada,
Stuart F. Quan,
Matthew D. Weaver,
Meera Sreedhara,
Mark É. Czeisler,
Kathy Como-Sabetti,
Ruth Lynfield,
Prabhu Grounder,
Elizabeth Traub,
Aryana Amoon,
Chandresh N. Ladva,
Mark E. Howard,
Charles A. Czeisler,
Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam,
Donatus U. Ekwueme,
Brendan Flannery,
Rashon I. Lane
Affiliations
Kara A. Suvada
Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Stuart F. Quan
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Matthew D. Weaver
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Meera Sreedhara
CDC COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Mark É. Czeisler
Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg 3010, Australia
Kathy Como-Sabetti
Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN 55164, USA
Ruth Lynfield
Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN 55164, USA
Prabhu Grounder
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Elizabeth Traub
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Aryana Amoon
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Chandresh N. Ladva
CDC COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Mark E. Howard
Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg 3010, Australia
Charles A. Czeisler
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Donatus U. Ekwueme
CDC COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Brendan Flannery
CDC COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Rashon I. Lane
CDC COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Objectives: This study assessed the associations between parent intent to have their child receive the COVID-19 vaccination, and demographic factors and various child activities, including attendance at in-person education or childcare. Methods: Persons undergoing COVID-19 testing residing in Minnesota and Los Angeles County, California with children aged Results: Compared to parents intending to vaccinate their children (n = 4686 [77.2%]), those undecided (n = 874 [14.4%]) or without intention to vaccinate (n = 508 [8.4%]) tended to be younger, non-White, less educated, and themselves not vaccinated against COVID-19. Their children more commonly participated in sports (aOR:1.51 1.17–1.95) and in-person faith or community activities (aOR:4.71 3.62–6.11). A greater proportion of parents without intention to vaccinate (52.5%) indicated that they required no more information to make their decision in comparison to undecided parents (13.2%). They further indicated that additional information regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness would influence their decision. COVID-19 mitigation measures were the most common factors influencing parents’ decision to have their child attend in-person class or childcare. Conclusions: Several demographic and socioeconomic factors are associated with parents’ decision whether to vaccinate their <12-year-old children for COVID-19. Child participation in in-person activities was associated with parents’ intentions not to vaccinate. Tailored communications may be useful to inform parents’ decisions regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.
