Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and post-partum women: A mixed-method study

Background

This study aims to understand factors contributing to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and postpartum adults.

Method

The study used targeted intercept advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to recruit a panel of 3600 pregnant and postpartum US adults. Data were collected between December 2021 and April 2022 (i.e., before the introduction of pediatric COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.). We used logistic regression to understand factors associated with pregnant and postpartum women's hesitancy towards getting children <5 vaccinated against COVID-19. Poststratification weights were applied to analyses to promote the representativeness of the sample. We also conducted a qualitative thematic analysis to determine the reasons for pediatric vaccine hesitancy.

Results

Nearly half (45.6 %) of pregnant or postpartum women were hesitant to vaccinate their child against COVID-19. Vaccine hesitancy was lower among those who had a high perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, had increased perceived severity of COVID-19, and increased perceived benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine. Perceived barriers related to long-term side effects of vaccines were positively associated with hesitancy to vaccinate children. Older women, women in urban areas, and those born outside the US were less likely to be hesitant to vaccinate children <5 against COVID-19. Compared to respondents with a high school education or less, the odds of pediatric vaccine hesitancy were higher among respondents with some college. Pregnant and postpartum women who were hesitant about getting children <5 vaccinated cited the following reasons for hesitancy: concerns about the vaccine, lack of evidence on vaccine safety, and the COVID-19 vaccine is not necessary for children.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that public health messages to promote the COVID-19 vaccine for young children should focus on the risks and consequences of the disease and share data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing severe COVID-19-related outcomes.