40 - COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Caregivers of Unvaccinated Children And Their Reported Trusted Sources of Information

Poster Number: 40
Publication Number: 40.1286

Background: As of June 2023, only 7.1% of U.S. children were up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination. Understanding factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and trusted information sources is important to improve childhood COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Objective: Describe COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among caregivers of children unvaccinated for COVID-19 and their trusted sources of COVID-19 information.

Design/Methods: Cross-sectional data collected at the beginning of an RCT are reported here. The study was conducted as part of the IDeA States Pediatrics Clinical Trial Network focused on rural or underserved children. From July 2022 to Feb 2023, caregivers of children unvaccinated for COVID-19 across 15 states were recruited to test a COVID-19 vaccine communication phone app. All caregivers completed a baseline survey that assessed vaccine hesitancy (WHO SAGE scale), trusted sources of COVID-19 information, intent to accept COVID-19 vaccine for their child, and rationale behind intent (items from the NIH RADx-Up Initiative).

Results: The 510 caregivers who completed the survey were of diverse backgrounds: 47.3% non-White race, 34.9% rural, and 31.6% privately insured. Of their 856 children, 46.1% were < 5 years old. For vaccines in general, 67.5% of caregivers were concerned about side effects and 46.4% about risks of new vaccines (Fig. 1). Only 21.5% of caregivers were fairly or very likely to get their child the COVID-19 vaccine within the next 3 months. The most common reasons to vaccinate against COVID-19 included: other reasons not specified (35.3%), keep family safe (22.9%) and don’t want child to get really sick (18.6%). The most common reasons not to vaccinate included: safety concerns (35.2%) and other reasons (12.0%), while 12.5% declined to respond. Top 3 trusted sources of COVID-19 information included health care provider, close friends/family members, and faith leader (Fig. 2).

Conclusion(s): Caregivers of children unvaccinated for COVID-19 reported safety concerns about COVID-19 vaccine and vaccines in general. Their reasons not to vaccinate against COVID-19 specifically were not well captured by the NIH RADx-Up items and more than 1 in 10 did not provide a reason, suggesting sensitivity on this topic. Healthcare providers are main sources of trusted COVID-19 information among caregivers of unvaccinated children, including those who do not intend to vaccinate soon. Thus, providers should maintain ongoing dialogue with families of unvaccinated children to build vaccine confidence.