The Reasons behind COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among the Parents of Children Aged between 5 to 11 Years Old in Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

Simultaneously with the development of the COVID-19 vaccination plan for minors, it is critical to understand the reasons related to parental COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. This study aims to determine the reasons associated with vaccination hesitancy among parents, and the prevalence and the characteristics of the parents who are hesitant to allow their children aged between 5 to 11 years old to be administered the COVID-19 vaccines. A web-based questionnaire was used to perform this study between May 2022 to September 2022 in Saudi Arabia (SA). Several factors, personal and social, affected the participants' willingness to vaccinate their children with the COVID-19 vaccines. The age of the parents was found to have a significant impact on their decision to vaccinate their children. Those between the age of 40-49 years of age were the most willing to vaccinate (almost 41%) compared to those 50 years or older who were most resistant to vaccination. Female participants were more resistant to vaccinating their children compared to their male counterparts. Saudis were more resistant to vaccinating their children compared to the non-Saudi participants. Those private sector-employed parents were the most willing to vaccinate (16.6%), followed by those working in the governmental sector (13.8%). About 40.7% of non-healthcare workers were resistant to vaccinating their minor compared to healthcare workers (8.7%). In conclusion, the study presents several factors that affect the parental willingness to vaccinate their children in SA. These factors should be properly addressed when developing public health strategies to promote the COVID-19 vaccination of children in SA.