Attitudes of parents with children aged 12-18 to COVID-19 vaccines for themselves and their children

Background. The incidence of vaccine hesitancy is increasing in many countries. This study aims to determine parents' attitudes and related factors regarding COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for themselves and their children aged 12-18. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on parents between 16th November and 31st December 2021, after COVID-19 vaccines were initiated for children in Turkiye. In the survey, the sociodemographic characteristics of the parents, whether they and their children were vaccinated against COVID-19, and if not, the reasons for this were asked. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the factors affecting parents' refusal to vaccinate their children for COVID-19. Results. Three hundred and ninety-six mothers and fathers were included in the final analysis. Overall, 41.7% of parents reported vaccine refusal for their children. COVID-19 vaccine refusal was higher in mothers younger than 35 (beta = 6.5, p = 0.002, 95% CI: 2.0-23.1), children aged 15 and younger (beta = 2.3, p = 0.001, 95% CI: 1.4-3.7). Concerns about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (29.7%) and their children not wanting to be vaccinated (29.0%) were the most common causes of COVID-19 vaccine refusal. Conclusions. In the present study, the rate of children not vaccinated due to COVID-19 vaccine refusal was relatively high. Parents' concerns about vaccine side effects, as well as their children's unwillingness to be vaccinated, suggest that both parents and adolescents should be informed about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.