Factors associated with mothers’ hesitancy to receive a COVID-19 vaccine

Vaccine hesitancy can impact maternal and child vaccination rates. We examined factors associated with mothers’ hesitancy to receive a COVID-19 vaccine using data from an online survey conducted from mid-February to mid-March 2021. Among unvaccinated participants (N = 203), 28% reported that they would probably not or definitely not get a COVID-19 vaccine. Mothers with high school/GED/trade/technical education (38% hesitant, aOR = 4.0, 95% CI: 1.2–13.2), Associate’s degree (43%, aOR = 6.8, 95% CI: 2.4–19.5), and Bachelor’s degree (30%, aOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1–8.4) were more likely to report vaccine hesitancy compared to mothers with a graduate degree (19%). Non-Hispanic Black mothers (40% hesitant, aOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.0–7.6) were more likely to be vaccine hesitant compared to non-Hispanic white mothers (19%). Mothers with low pandemic-related anxiety were more likely to report vaccine hesitancy than mothers with high pandemic-related anxiety (56% vs 23% hesitant; aOR = 4.8, 95% CI: 1.7–14.1). Research is needed to understand informational, emotional, and attitudinal factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among mothers to develop and test effective public health messaging to increase vaccination rates.