Survey: Parents Split on COVID Vaccination for Kids Under 12

By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- As a caller schoolhouse twelvemonth approaches, U.S. parents are astir evenly divided connected whether they'll vaccinate their young kids erstwhile a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for their property group, a caller survey finds.

"It's important that parents and providers don't hold for afloat COVID vaccine support to statesman discussions astir vaccination," said Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll connected Children's Health, astatine Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan.

COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for Americans 12 years and older, and clinical trials are underway for their usage successful kids nether 12.

In this June survey of much than 2,000 parents with astatine slightest 1 kid betwixt 3 and 18 years of age, 49% parents with kids aged 3 to 11 said they would apt get their kid vaccinated, portion 51% said they were improbable to bash so.

Among parents of 12- to 18-year-olds, 39% said their kid had already received the shot, 21% said their kid would apt get it and 40% said they were improbable to bash so.

Thirty-eight percent of parents with debased incomes said their kid is apt to get the shot, compared to 60% of those with higher incomes, the canvass found.

Many parents said the proposal of their child's wellness attraction supplier volition beryllium influential successful their decision. But 70% of those with 3- to 11-year-olds and fractional of those with 12- to 18-year-olds said they hadn't discussed the COVID-19 vaccine with their child's doctor.

Aside from the proposal of their child's wellness attraction providers, different factors parents of unvaccinated children said would beryllium important successful their determination include: vaccine broadside effects (70%); investigating successful the child's property radical (63%); however good the vaccine works successful kids (62%); and their ain probe (56%).

More parents of older than younger children (41% versus 19%) said their regular wellness supplier recommends COVID-19 vaccination.

Only 19% of parents whose kid got vaccinated said it was done successful a doctor's office. Twenty-nine percent got the changeable astatine a nationalist COVID-19 vaccination tract and 36% astatine a retail pharmacy.

But much parents of unvaccinated children said their penchant was to get their kid vaccinated astatine a doctor's bureau (42%), compared to 5% who would take a pharmacy oregon nationalist site, and 19% who had nary preference.

"As children hole to instrumentality to school, our canvass provides penetration into parents' existent stance connected vaccinating kids and what factors into their determination making," Clark said successful a assemblage quality release.

She suggested that parents of younger children who person appointments for check-ups oregon insignificant illnesses should see questions astir the COVID-19 vaccine during those visits.

"Our canvass suggests parents are already forming opinions, and it's indispensable that their decision-making process see close information, arsenic good arsenic a nonrecreational proposal from the child's wellness attraction provider," she said.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has much connected COVID-19 vaccines.