Parental Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination for Children and Its Association with Information Sufficiency and Credibility in South Korea

Abstract

Importance: Vaccination against COVID-19 is an effective method for individuals to reduce negative health outcomes. However, widespread COVID-19 vaccination among children has been challenging owing to parental hesitancy. Objective: To examine parental decision-making in favor of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children and its association with the sufficiency and credibility of the information about the vaccine. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional survey study was conducted in South Korea from February 7 to 10, 2022, 7 weeks before initiation of the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years. Parents were included if they spoke Korean and had at least 1 child in elementary school (grades 1-6). Parents and children were included in a 1:1 ratio; a total of 113450 parents and 113450 children were included in the analysis. Statistical analysis was performed between March and April 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes of interest were (1) parental acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination for their children and (2) its association with self-reported sufficiency and credibility of information about the vaccine. A multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with parental decision-making in favor of COVID-19 vaccination; path analysis was used to examine indirect effects of information sufficiency and credibility. Results: Of the 113450 children, 58342 (51.4%) were boys, and the mean (SD) age was 10.1 (1.5) years. Of the 113450 parents who responded, 7379 (6.5%) were accepting vaccination for their children; 15731 (13.9%) reported the vaccine-related information they received was sufficient, and 23021 (20.3%) reported the information was credible. Parents who reported that the information was sufficient were 3.08 times (95% CI, 2.85-3.33; P