Survey: Some Parents Remain Leery of COVID-19 Vaccination

AAFP Has Resources to Address Parental Concerns, Vaccine Hesitancy

August 16, 2022, 1:45 p.m. News Staff — As school-age children across the United States return to in-person learning, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation show that parents continue to have concerns about vaccinating their children against the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, with a slim majority of parents of very young children perceiving the vaccines as a bigger risk to their child’s health than getting infected.

Adult confidence in COVID-19 vaccine safety varied based on patient age. While 70% of adult respondents said they were very or somewhat confident that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe for adults, only 62% thought they were safe for children ages 12 to 17, 55% thought they were safe for children ages 5 to 11, and 48% thought they were safe in very young children.

The percentage of parents who said they were very or somewhat worried that their child would get seriously sick from COVID has largely declined over time, from a high of 57% in September 2021 to 44% in the most recent survey.

The survey also examined parental reports of vaccine uptake based on the ages of their children. Among parents with children ages 12 to 17 years:

• between 56% and 61% of parents of children in this age range reported their child had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine at some time in 2022. In comparison, the percentage of 12- to 17-year-olds who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine never topped 49% at any time in 2021.
• 28% of all parents with children ages 12 to 17 years, and 67% of parents of an unvaccinated child, said they definitely would not get them vaccinated against COVID-19.

Among parents of children ages 5 to 11 years:

• the percentage of children in this age group who had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine increased steadily over time, from 16% in October 2021 to 40% in July 2022.
• 37% of all parents said they definitely would not get their children vaccinated, and 22% said they would take a wait-and-see approach or get their child vaccinated only if the school required it.
• 62% of parents with an unvaccinated child said they definitely would not get them vaccinated against COVID-19.

Among parents of children ages 6 months to 4 years:

• 93% said their child had not received a COVID-19 vaccine;
• 43% definitely would not get their child vaccinated against COVID-19, and another 27% said they would wait and see how the vaccine is working before making a decision;
• 55% said the information provided by federal agencies about the vaccine is confusing;
• 70% said they had not talked with a pediatrician or other health care professional about the vaccine for their child; and
• 53% thought that their child getting the COVID-19 vaccine was a bigger risk than becoming infected with coronavirus.

Parents of unvaccinated children in this age group also were asked about specific vaccine-related concerns. Among the responses:

• 81% were very or somewhat concerned that their child might experience serious side effects;
• 81% were concerned that not enough is known about the vaccine’s long-term effects; and
• 70% were concerned the vaccine would not prevent their child from getting sick.

AAFP Continues to Develop COVID-19 Resources

These findings confirm that discussing vaccine hesitancy and improving confidence in COVID-19 vaccines are challenges that many family physicians still face, despite the federal government having first declared the pandemic a public health emergency in January 2020.

Since that time, the Academy has been hard at work developing resources for members, beginning with the creation of a COVID-19 webpage that has undergone significant expansions over the past two years. The page now directs visitors to dozens of COVID-19 resources for FPs and their patients, including specific sections that cover vaccines, therapeutics, practice management, CME, advocacy and more. There’s even a COVID-19 member community where FPs can discuss the latest news, ask questions and connect directly with AAFP staff.

In July, the Academy unveiled yet another resource to guide members on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in young children when AAFP President Sterling Ransone, M.D., spoke with Cameron Webb, M.D., J.D., the senior policy adviser for equity with the White House COVID-19 response team. The Q&A session addressed not only ongoing vaccination efforts, but also discussed the latest COVID-19 variants, guidance on booster shots, and previews the upcoming influenza season.

An additional tool soon will be available for family physicians and other health care professionals, as AAFP Board Chair Ada Stewart, M.D., of Columbia, S.C., is scheduled to participate in a COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project webinar, “Deep Dive Into COVID-19 Vaccines for Younger Children and Infants,” Aug. 18 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. The webinar will focus on addressing parental concerns about childhood COVID-19 vaccines and ways to increase confidence in the vaccines for eligible children. Registration is required to attend; registrants will receive a link to the event in their confirmation email, as well as a reminder email before the event starts.

Be sure to bookmark the Academy’s COVID-19 webpage for access to the latest news and information.