COVID VACCINE ACCEPTANCE AND HESITANCY IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS Kanwal Ojha, BS 1 , Lauren Mueller, BS 1 , Jessica Mecklosky, BS 1 , Alyssa Go, MD 1 , Stephen Weimer, MD 2 1 Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Tulane University,
1430 Tulane Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 70112 2 Children’s Hospital New Orleans LCMC Health, 200 Henry Clay Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 70118
INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization has deemed vaccine hesitancy as one of the ten leading threats to global health1. In May 2021, the United States Food and Drug Administration emergently authorized the vaccination of children aged 12-15 for COVID-192. In October 2021, vaccination approval expanded to children aged 5-113. As of February 2022, an Emergency Use Authorization has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in children six months to four years old. In the pediatric population, a United States cross-sectional study of 242 parents of adolescents aged 12-17 years of age reported a COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate of 45.5%, with the influencing factors being parental vaccine status, being of white race, general vaccine mistrust, and COVID-19 vaccine misconceptions4. A phone-based survey of 252 parents of patients from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles determined that vaccine hesitancy has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased risk perception5. Our research study administered a short survey to parents of pediatric patients in an outpatient clinic setting to identify attitudes towards vaccines, investigate reasons for adherence or refusal, quantify healthcare literacy surrounding vaccines, and analyze social determinants that may influence vaccine hesitancy. Understanding factors that may positively
influence vaccine understanding and compliance could inform primary care physicians how to best encourage their patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. METHODS Through the month of June 2021, a sample of 35 patients and parents/guardians presenting to a community based academic general pediatric clinic were identified and were surveyed about their beliefs and feelings towards COVID vaccination. Informed consent was obtained from the parent/guardian before the survey was completed. No specification was made between the different brands of the COVID vaccine. Each of the participants were surveyed using an online questionnaire powered by Qualtrics software, version July 2021 of Qualtrics, copyright © 2022 Qualtrics. The survey contained 25 questions gauging parent’s willingness to vaccinate their child against COVID-19 using a 5-point Likert scale, as well as their reasoning behind it. Additionally, respondents’ demographics, prior vaccination history, and overall feelings towards the COVID-19 pandemic were self-reported. RESULTS All survey question results were analyzed and notable findings are represented in Figure 1 with the x-axis representing the number of parent/guardian respondents that chose that response.
IS YOUR CHILD UP TO DATE ON VACCINATIONS?
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22 J LA MED SOC | VOL 174 | FALL 2022
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