Willingness and understanding of the safety and effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccines in young children: a cross‐sectional study among parents in Malaysia

Author:

Ibrahim Norkasihan12ORCID,Afandi Muhammad Firdaus1,Abu Bakar Karmila3,Eng Caroline4,Balan Shamala5ORCID,Abd Wahab Mohd Shahezwan1ORCID,Jamal Janattul‐Ain12ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Teknologi MARA Puncak Alam Malaysia

2. Center for Drug Policy and Health Economic Research (CDPHER), Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Teknologi MARA Puncak Alam Malaysia

3. Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine University Malaya Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

4. Department of Pediatrics Hospital Tuanku Jaafar Jalan Rasah Seremban Malaysia

5. Department of Pharmacy Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Jalan Langat Klang Malaysia

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe safety and efficacy of COVID‐19 vaccinations are crucial factors that parents consider when deciding whether to vaccinate their children.AimThis study aimed to investigate parents' understanding of COVID‐19 vaccines and its association with the degree of willingness to vaccinate their young children.MethodA cross‐sectional survey was conducted among the public with children younger than 12 years old. Information on parents' demography, understanding of COVID‐19 vaccines and their willingness to get their children vaccinated were collected. The association between the level of understanding and willingness was tested using the One‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Predictors of good understanding and high willingness were investigated using multiple linear regression. Ethics approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee of Universiti Teknologi MARA (Reference no: REC [PH]/012/2022) and the study conforms with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. A web‐based survey link was distributed through social media platforms. The initial section of the survey included a project information sheet including the purpose of the study, length of questionnaire, identity of researchers and measures taken to ensure data confidentiality and anonymity of participants. Participants provided their consent electronically prior to being granted access to the questionnaire.ResultsOf the 386 respondents, 53.4% had a good understanding, and 74.6% had a high willingness. Only 42.5% agreed that the vaccines are effective in protecting children from getting COVID‐19, 79.5% and 73.3% misunderstood the severity and tendency to experience the side effects, respectively. A better understanding was associated with a higher willingness to vaccinate ([F(4381) = 54.417, p = 0.000). A higher understanding was significantly associated with higher educational status (postgraduate [β = 0.297, p = 0.028] and bachelor [β = 0.275, p = 0.034], work in a health‐related field [β = 0.300, p < 0.001]) and have received a COVID‐19 booster (β = 0.347, p < 0.001). A high willingness was prevalent among parents working in a health‐related field, had received a COVID‐19 booster and had medical condition. Low willingness was observed among parents aged above 30 years old and those who have used herbal medicines.ConclusionIt is of utmost importance to comprehend parents’ understanding of this topic to minimise hesitancy toward COVID‐19 vaccination in children.

Publisher

Wiley

Reference32 articles.

1. COVID-19 features in children and adolescents: a systematic review and pooled analysis

2. Real-world effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection among adolescents (12 to 17-year-olds) in Malaysia

3. World Health Organization (WHO).COVID‐19 advice for the public: getting vaccinated [updated 13 April 2022]. Geneva: WHO; 2022. Available from . Accessed 10 August 2022.

4. Ministry of Health Malaysia.Daily COVID‐19 cases by age group and state [updated 23 December]. Available from . Accessed 23 December 2022.

5. Evaluation of mRNA-1273 Covid-19 Vaccine in Children 6 to 11 Years of Age

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