Focus group discussions with parents have been conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of caregivers’ beliefs about Covid-19 vaccination in children
Why we did the qualitative study
We wanted to understand what is influencing caregivers decision to vaccinate or not vaccinate their children. By better understanding the types of information caregivers are receiving about vaccines, where they are getting this information and how its informing their decisions, our study can identify key gaps in the types of services and information provided by health agencies.
How we did the qualitative study
We conducted a qualitative study that included online focus group discussions with caregivers of children aged 5–11 years. We asked caregivers about a variety of topics including how concerns about COVID-19, side effects of the vaccine and government mandates influenced their decisions. We also explored the type of information caregivers received about COVID-19, including their most trusted information sources and the types of information they wish they could obtain but don’t have access to.
What we found in the qualitative study
Early findings demonstrate that caregivers weigh out the potential costs and benefits to their decision to either vaccinate or not vaccinate their children. For caregivers who decided not to vaccinate their children, they perceived the risk from potential vaccine side effects to outweigh the risks of their child contracting COVID-19. Caregivers who decided to vaccinate their children cited that they were concerned about the health of family members, decreasing the risk of COVID-19 spread, and long COVID-19 in their children. Many study participants also described concerns that government and public health agencies were not transparent about COVID-19 and many gave examples of inconsistent public health messages that added to their mistrust of COVID-19 related recommendations and mandates. Overall, these findings demonstrate that research and information about COVID-19 should be clear and accessible to public, including how scientific evidence evolves with implications for public health messages.
How we have shared our findings
The results of this study have been presented at the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases Annual Conference in May 2023 in Portugal and at the Child Health Symposium in May 2023 at the University of Western Ontario.