This study aimed to assess adolescent caregiver perceptions and trepidations surrounding SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 vaccine. The study showed that caregivers of a child with a chronic disease were significantly more likely to have plans to vaccinate their child (p < 0.001). Additionally, the study found that caregivers who expressed belief that the vaccine was effective were significantly associated with the intention to vaccinate their child (p = 0.009), and that caregivers who were already vaccinated were also significantly more likely to vaccinate their child (p = 0.004).
Interestingly, many of the variables assessed were found to not be significantly associated with intention to vaccinate children against COVID-19 when eligible. Gender of the child, along with caregiver race, socioeconomic status, and level of education were all found to not be significantly associated. Furthermore, the multivariable linear regression also found no significant association depending on if a family member tested positive for COVID, if the child was up to date on vaccinations, if the family regularly wears face coverings, or if the family has a primary care physician.
Although studies evaluating caregiver perceptions of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 vaccine exist, there are gaps in the data for our specific patient population. Little information is available regarding adolescent vaccination uptake and caregiver vaccine perceptions in the Southern United States, within similar caregiver demographics, or within similar demographic areas. Although a similar study investigating parental plans to vaccinate children against COVID-19 in New York City exists, the outlook of our caregiver and adolescent population in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, was expected to be different. The data collected in this study filled those gaps, as well as provided additional information based on caregiver age, level of education, race, ethnicity, annual income of our population, and other variables. The findings in this study may more accurately represent and generalize caregiver perceptions–for caregivers of middle schoolers and the adolescent population specifically–in areas of the Southern United States or other areas in the country on the rural-urban fringe.
Our study found that caregivers who were vaccinated themselves were significantly more likely to vaccinate their children, which is consistent with the study performed by Teasdale, et al. Our study also specifically investigated caregiver perception if a child had a chronic disease, which had previously not been investigated.
The survey was sent out in October of 2021, when vaccines for children aged 5–11 were on the verge of being authorized for emergency use. We chose to implement a survey because it would allow caregivers to list their concerns and preferences about the COVID-19 vaccine without any fear of judgment. Furthermore, an online survey format allowed for easy, wide distribution of the survey throughout the entire county and facilitated efficient gathering of demographic data. Although the survey format was useful, it did have limitations as well. It is possible that only caregivers who had strong opinions about vaccinations opted to fill out the survey. Furthermore, all of the questions in the survey were not mandatory, and many surveys were only partially filled out. Additionally, although the demographic data reflects that of Athens Clarke County, it is not fully representative of the United States as a whole. For example, our study population was 66.1% White, 20.63% Black or African American, and 3.13% Hispanic or Latino, which is in contrast to the United States Census Bureau’s demographic data of the United States as 76.3% White, 13.4% Black or African American, and 18.5% Hispanic or Latino. Additionally, our population was on average more educated, with 71.8% having a college degree or more, which is in contrast to 32.9% of the United States population having a bachelor’s degree or higher7.
Children aged 5–11 are currently eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine. Therefore, next steps of this study could include establishing caregiver perceptions specifically for the 5–11-year-old population, who have recently become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, while also gathering information about caregiver perceptions for children younger than the age of 5. Additionally, it could seek to further identify and elucidate specific reasons behind the decision to not vaccinate, thereby identifying barriers to vaccine uptake. Moreover, future studies could also investigate if there were any significant differences regarding attitudes towards booster vaccinations against COVID-19.
According to our survey of caregivers in Athens-Clarke County, caregivers who were vaccinated against COVID-19, who expressed belief that the vaccine was effective, or whose child had a chronic disease, were all significantly more likely to vaccinate their child against COVID-19.