Two-Third of Parents Will Vaccinate Children Aged 5 to 11 Years

Two-thirds of parents of children aged 5 to 11 years say they will get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 once a vaccine is authorized for the age group, new data from a survey by COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project showed.

“These promising survey results highlight a strong desire among parents to protect their school-aged children from COVID-19 but also the need for increased efforts for continued education about the benefits of vaccination,” Linda Mendonça, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, president of the National Association of School Nurses, said in a statement.

“School nurses have played a vital role in helping parents navigate the pandemic, and we stand ready to help. We are committed to enhancing the health and well-being of students and communities across the country,” Mendonça said.

The results show that 60% of parents of school-aged children support schools requiring eligible children to get vaccinated to attend in-person schooling. Of these individuals, 80% are vaccinated, and 86% have children aged 12 to 18 years who were already vaccinated.

About 77% of parents said that they were concerned that their child could get COVID-19. Concern seemed to vary based on the parents’ vaccination status, for example, 42% vaccinated parents were “very worried” compared with 29% of unvaccinated parents. Concerns were also higher among parents of children aged 5 to 11 years than those with children who were aged 16 to 18 years of age.

Adverse effects (AEs) and vaccine development were concerns for parents who are unvaccinated. About 63% said that the vaccines were developed too quickly and affected their decision “a lot,” while 57% said that they were concerned about potential AEs.

Fewer than half said they wanted to wait for more information regarding the vaccine.

“While we’re encouraged to see that a majority of parents intend to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 once they are eligible, there is clearly more work to be done to help address parents’ questions and ease concerns about the vaccines,” Beth Battaglino, RN-C, CEO of HealthyWomen and co-convener of the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project, said in the statement. “Reaching people where they are, listening and working with trusted community voices to help instill confidence in the vaccine development and regulatory approval process is crucial to combat hesitancy and ensure that all families are equipped with the latest vaccine information to make an informed decision.”

Reference

Two in three parents of children ages 5-11 plan to vaccinate their child against COVID-19. PR Newswire. News release. October 14, 2021. Accessed On October 18, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/two-in-three-parents-of-children-ages-5-11-plan-to-vaccinate-their-child-against-covid-19-301399808.html