Abstract
BackgroundAt present, the widespread variants and the weakened immunity provided by vaccines over time have further emphasized the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts against COVID-19. Here, this study intends to investigate the acceptability of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine among child caregivers, aiming to explore the association between risk perception and child vaccine acceptance.MethodsThis anonymous, national, cross-sectional survey was conducted for one week from November 12, 2021 in mainland China. The risk perception among child caregivers was assessed based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the individuals was equally divided into three levels according to the total preset scores of each perception dimension. Pearson χ2 test was used to compare the differences among participants stratified by sociodemographic characteristics, health status, knowledge factors and risk perception. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to explore the associations between risk perception and the acceptance of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine.ResultsA total of 88.46% of 1,724 participants were willing to accept the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children. People who lived in central China (91.93%), had a high school or polytechnic school level education (93.98%), and had a history of COVID-19 vaccination (88.80%) were more likely to accept a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children. The complicated vaccination process (24.5%) and uncertainty about the safety (16.5%) and efficacy (21.3%) of vaccines were the three main reasons for vaccine hesitancy among child caregivers. The acceptance of the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was closely related to a higher level of perceived susceptibility (moderate: aOR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.07–2.29, P = 0.022; high: aOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.06–2.89, P = 0.029) and high perceived benefit (high: aOR = 7.22, 95% CI: 2.63–19.79, P < 0.001). The results were stable in the sensitivity analysis.Conclusions88.46% of child caregivers were willing to have a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to children, and the acceptance was closely associated with a higher level of perceived susceptibility and perceived benefit. The complicated vaccination process, uncertainty about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines were the main reasons for their hesitancy. Therefore, targeted public health measures to increase perceived susceptibility and benefit are still needed to meet the requirements of higher-level immunization coverage.
Highlights
As a major public health concern, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raged around the world for nearly 2 years, with more than 260 million people struggling in this disease [1, 2]
88.46% were willing to accept the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for their children
People who lived in central China (91.93%), had a high school or polytechnic school level education (93.98%), and had a history of COVID-19 vaccination (88.80%) were more likely to accept a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children (Table 1)
Summary
As a major public health concern, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raged around the world for nearly 2 years, with more than 260 million people struggling in this disease [1, 2]. Vaccination is the most economical public health intervention to prevent and control infectious diseases, especially during the time without specific medicine [3]. The recent emergence of the new variants (e.g., Delta variant and Omicron variant) and the weakened immunity provided by vaccines over time further emphasize the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts against COVID19 [4–7]. According to the statistics of Our World in Data, approximately 326.22 million people in 21 countries have administered a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of December 9, 2021 [8]. The severe illness or death of children caused by COVID-19 will be even more damaging to families and societies [11]. The widespread variants and the weakened immunity provided by vaccines over time have further emphasized the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts against COVID-19. This study intends to investigate the acceptability of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine among child caregivers, aiming to explore the association between risk perception and child vaccine acceptance
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