WHEN YOUR CHILD BECOMES ELIGIBLE FOR THE COVID-19 VACCINE, HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILD?
VERY LIKELY
SOMEWHAT LIKELY
UNSURE
SOMEWHAT UNLIKELY
UNLIKELY
0
2
4
6
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WHEN YOUR CHILD BECOMES ELIGIBLE FOR THE COVID-19 VACCINE, HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILD?
VERY CONFIDENT
SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT
NEUTRAL
SOMEWHAT NOT CONFIDENT
NOT CONFIDENT
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
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Figure 1. Notable responses of parents/guardians of pediatric patients. Graphs created by Qualtrics survey data results graph generator. While 83.4% of participants believe COVID-19 is very or somewhat dangerous, our results show that only 60.0% participants were very or somewhat likely to vaccinate their child against COVID-19 in the New Orleans area. The primary reason reported for vaccinating their child against COVID-19 is to protect the child (83.3%) rather than protect others, general belief in efficacy of vaccines, or severity of pandemic. 23.3% were very or somewhat unlikely to vaccinate their child even though 90.2% respondents reported their child was up to date on regular vaccinations. DISCUSSION From our survey results, we learned that while the majority of parents (83.9%) believed that COVID-19 virus was very or somewhat dangerous, a much smaller portion (60.0%) were very or somewhat likely to vaccinate their child against it. This discrepancy demonstrated that parents’ hesitancy of this vaccine was not because of an inadequate or skewed view of the dangers of this particular disease and the danger it poses. This was further explained by the fact that only a little more than half (56.7%) of respondents were very or somewhat confident in the vaccine’s efficacy in protecting their child from COVID-19.
Parents’ hesitancy of the COVID-19 vaccine was not directly impacted by a lack of or misunderstanding of the danger that COVID poses, even on children. The findings of our research study in conjunction with the lack of confidence parents showed in the efficacy of the vaccine led us to the understanding that vaccine hesitancy and conversations should not just be targeted towards instilling fears of the dangers of diseases and that all vaccine hesitancy cannot be neatly grouped together. Parents, even some who would be willing receive a particular vaccine, were hesitant of giving their child vaccines that they did not feel confident in. While pediatricians and other healthcare providers initially used the staggering number of patients and families that have been morbidly or fatally affected by COVID-19 to persuade parents to accept the vaccine for their children6, our survey results showed that another method may be more tactful. Parents’ lack of confidence in the efficacy of the vaccine illustrated that was a pivotal part of the discussion of healthcare maintenance and illness prevention that physicians can and should facilitate. Pediatricians can use their roles as physicians and physician-scientists with access to the latest studies, resources, and conversations in the realm of healthcare and public health to educate parents and instill appropriate confidence in FDA-approved vaccines. Based on the results of our research study, shifting the conversation from the dangers of diseases to discussing confidence and enthusiasm for treatments and interventions may be a more fruitful tactic that better aligns with parents’ specific worries and thus be more effective.
24 J LA MED SOC | VOL 174 | FALL 2022
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