Peer-reviewed article
Parents' acceptance to vaccinate children against COVID-19: A Syrian online survey
Sarya Swed, Hidar Alibrahim, Haidara Bohsas, Sheikh Shoib, Mohammad Mehedi Hasan et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001A Syrian online survey of 283 parents assessed their willingness to vaccinate children against COVID-19 between March and April 2021. Only 105 parents agreed to vaccinate their children while 178 refused. Parents' age and their own vaccination status were significant factors affecting their willingness to vaccinate their children, with younger parents (18-30 years) more accepting.
Key points
- 37.1% of parents (105 of 283) agreed to vaccinate their children against COVID-19
- Parents aged 18-30 years showed the highest acceptance rate at 45.2%
- Parents who had accepted vaccination themselves were more likely to vaccinate their children (34.6%)
- Significant correlation found between parent age and vaccine willingness (P<0.0001)
- Study recommends enhanced awareness and knowledge programs about vaccine effectiveness
Limitations
This was an online survey which may not represent all Syrian parents, particularly those without internet access or digital literacy. The study captures a snapshot from early 2021 and does not follow parents over time to see if acceptance changed.
Abstract
After the widespread of COVID-19 virus worldwide, vaccination targeted reducing spread of cases and mortality rates. However, vaccination hesitancy was observed among the communities worldwide. Vaccination hesitancy involved parents regarding the decision of vaccinating their children- After obtaining ethical approval, an online cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 March to 22 April 2021 to evaluate the parents' acceptance of vaccinating their children against the COVID-19 virus in Syria. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis in IBM, SPSS V. 28.0 package program (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Among 283 participants, 105 participants agreed to vaccinate their children, and 178 were not. A significant correlation between age and vaccine willingness was found (P-value < 0.0001*), especially in the age group between 18 and 30 years old (45.2%). Parents who accepted vaccinating themselves were more willing to vaccinate their children (34.6%). According to our results, there is a greater need to enhance awareness and knowledge programs about the vaccine's effectiveness and encourage parents to accept giving the vaccine to their children.