Psychosocial correlates of parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19
- PMID: 38913679
- PMCID: PMC11195945
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305877
Psychosocial correlates of parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19
Erratum in
-
Correction: Psychosocial correlates of parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.PLoS One. 2025 Apr 29;20(4):e0323661. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323661. eCollection 2025. PLoS One. 2025. PMID: 40299969 Free PMC article.
Abstract
Background: Public health guidance recommended that children who are 6 months or older be vaccinated against COVID-19 in June of 2022. In the U.S., 56% of children under 17 had not received the COVID-19 vaccination in 2023. We examine parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 using the theory of planned behavior in order to design effective strategies to promote vaccine uptake.
Methods: The Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance is part of an NIH community-engaged consortium focused on addressing COVID-19 disparities across the U.S. We surveyed 1,008 Philadelphia parents (mean age 36.86, SD 6.55; 42.3% racial/ethnic minorities) between September 2021 and February 2022, a period when guidance for child vaccination was anticipated. Structural Equation Modeling analysis examined associations between parental willingness and vaccine-related attitudes, norms, and perceived control. Covariates included parents' COVID-19 vaccination status, race/ethnicity, gender, and survey completion post-CDC pediatric COVID-19 vaccination guidelines. Subgroup analyses by race/ethnicity and gender were conducted.
Results: Our model demonstrated good fit (χ2 = 907.37, df = 419, p<0.001; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.951; non-normed fit index [NNFI] = 0.946; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.034 with 95% CI = 0.030-0.038). Attitudes ([Formula: see text] = 0.447, p<0.001) and subjective norms ([Formula: see text] = 0.309, p = 0.002) were predictors of intention. Racial/ethnic minority parents exhibited weaker vaccination intentions ([Formula: see text] = -0.053, p = 0.028) than non-Hispanic White parents.
Conclusions: Parents' attitudes and norms influence their vaccination intentions. Despite the survey predating widespread child vaccine availability, findings are pertinent given the need to increase and sustain pediatric vaccinations against COVID-19. Interventions promoting positive vaccine attitudes and prosocial norms are warranted. Tailored interventions and diverse communication strategies for parental subgroups may be useful to ensure comprehensive and effective vaccination initiatives.
Copyright: © 2024 Yu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Figures






Similar articles
-
Factors associated with the COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions of young adults in the United States.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024 Dec 31;20(1):2383016. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2383016. Epub 2024 Jul 24. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024. PMID: 39048929 Free PMC article.
-
Trust in federal COVID-19 vaccine oversight and parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.BMC Public Health. 2024 Mar 16;24(1):830. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18342-y. BMC Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38493101 Free PMC article.
-
Parental experience with childhood COVID-19 vaccines and factors associated with parental hesitancy despite being vaccinated: findings of a cross-sectional analysis from Pakistan and implications for the future.BMJ Open. 2024 Dec 10;14(12):e086877. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086877. BMJ Open. 2024. PMID: 39658278 Free PMC article.
-
Evaluating COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among parents in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review examining attitudes, hesitancy, and intentions.Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 22;12:1327944. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1327944. eCollection 2024. Front Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38584927 Free PMC article.
-
Chinese parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Public Health. 2022 Dec 15;10:1087295. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1087295. eCollection 2022. Front Public Health. 2022. PMID: 36590001 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Correction: Psychosocial correlates of parents' willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.PLoS One. 2025 Apr 29;20(4):e0323661. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323661. eCollection 2025. PLoS One. 2025. PMID: 40299969 Free PMC article.
-
Factors associated with the COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions of young adults in the United States.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024 Dec 31;20(1):2383016. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2383016. Epub 2024 Jul 24. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024. PMID: 39048929 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Buheji M, da Costa Cunha K, Beka G, Mavric B, De Souza Y, da Costa Silva SS, et al.. The extent of covid-19 pandemic socio-economic impact on global poverty. A global integrative multidisciplinary review. American Journal of Economics. 2020;10(4):213–24. doi: 10.5923/j.economics.20201004.02 - DOI
-
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19. 2023. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html.
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous