Factors influencing parents’ willingness to vaccinate their preschool children against COVID-19: Results from the mixed-method study in China

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about parental hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for preschool children who are the potential vaccinated population in the future. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore the factors influencing Chinese parents’ decision to vaccinate their children aged 3–6 years old against COVID-19. In July 2021, we conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 19) and a cross-sectional survey (n = 2605) with parents of kindergarten children in an urban-rural combination pilot area in China. According to the qualitative study, most parents were hesitant to vaccinate their children with the COVID-19 vaccine. In the quantitative study, we found that three-fifths of 2605 participants were unwilling to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Furthermore, the main predictors of parents’ intention to vaccinate their children were fathers, lower level of education, and positive attitudes toward vaccination. Based on our findings, targeted health education techniques may be able to boost childhood COVID-19 immunization rates.