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. 2022 Aug 26;40(36):5384-5390.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.07.038. Epub 2022 Aug 1.

Should COVID-19 vaccines be mandated in schools? - an international caregiver perspective

Shannon H Baumer-Mouradian  1 , Rebecca J Hart  2 , Jeffrey N Bone  3 , Michelle Seiler  4 , Prasra Olson  5 , Kristina Keitel  6 , Sergio Manzano  7 , Gianluca Gualco  8 , Danna Krupik  9 , Stephanie Schroter  10 , Rachel M Weigert  11 , SunHee Chung  12 , Graham C Thompson  13 , Nina Muhammad  14 , Pareen Shah  15 , Nathalie O Gaucher  16 , Maren M Lunoe  17 , Megan Evers  18 , Cosette Pharisa Rochat  19 , Courtney E Nelson  20 , Moran Shefler Gal  21 , Adrianna Doucas  22 , Ran D Goldman  23 ; International COVID-19 Parental Attitude Study (COVIPAS) Group*
Affiliations

Should COVID-19 vaccines be mandated in schools? - an international caregiver perspective

Shannon H Baumer-Mouradian et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Objectives: Caregiver attitudes toward mandating COVID-19 vaccines for their children are poorly understood. We aimed to determine caregiver acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine mandates for schools/daycares and assess if opposition to mandates would result in removal of children from the educational system.

Study design: Perform a cross-sectional, anonymous survey of adult caregivers with children ≤ 18 years presenting to 21 pediatric emergency departments in the United States, Canada, Israel, and Switzerland, November 1st through December 31st, 2021. The primary outcome was caregiver acceptance rates for school vaccine mandates, and the secondary outcomes included factors associated with mandate acceptance and caregiver intention to remove the child from school.

Results: Of 4,393 completed surveys, 37% of caregivers were opposed to any school vaccine mandate. Caregiver acceptance was lowest for daycare settings (33%) and increased as the child's level of education increased, college (55%). 26% of caregivers report a high likelihood (score of 8-10 on 0-10 scale) to remove their child from school if the vaccine became mandatory. Child safety was caregivers' greatest concern over vaccine mandates. A multivariable model demonstrated intent to vaccinate their child for COVID-19 (OR = 8.9, 95% CI 7.3 to 10.8; P < 0.001) and prior COVID-19 vaccination for the caregiver (OR = 3.8, 95% CI 3.0 to 4.9; P < 0.001) had the greatest odds of increasing mandate acceptance for any school level.

Conclusions: Many caregivers are resistant to COVID-19 vaccine mandates for schools, and acceptance varies with school level. One-fourth of caregivers plan to remove their child from the educational system if vaccines become mandated.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Caregiver Acceptance of Vaccine Mandates. Percent of surveyed caregivers who support COVID-19 vaccine mandates for each educational level. Vaccine mandate acceptance was lowest for the daycare setting (33%), and acceptance increased with rising school level: preschool-elementary schools (41%), middle schools (48%), high schools (53%), and college (55%).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Intentions of Caregivers to Remove their Child from School/Daycare settings. Likelihood to move to remove child from school/daycare settings if COVID-19 vaccines become mandated, 26% of caregivers report a high likelihood to remove child from school (score 8–10 on 0–10 scale) and 58% reported a low likelihood (score of 0–2 on 0–10 scale).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Caregiver Concerns over Vaccine Mandates. Child safety was the most common concern regarding mandates. Caregivers were allowed to select multiple options.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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