COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy Among 5 - 11-year-old Iranian Children’s Parents: What Are Underlying Beliefs?

Background: Of all teenage deaths caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 47% occurred in children aged 0 - 9. Like many other infectious diseases, reducing mortality in children requires widespread vaccination. Despite the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, a large percentage of children have not received the vaccine. Objectives: This survey aimed to study parents’ reluctance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for their children in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to parents whose 5 to 11-year-old children had received no COVID-9 vaccine through the health educators of primary schools in Shiraz, Iran. The questionnaire contained demographic questions and 16 beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination that were answered as yes/no. Results: We assessed 1093 respondents, including 49.5% (n = 542) male and 50.5% female students’ parents. The mean number of wrong beliefs was 7.21 ± 2.80 in parents who had boys and 7.78 ± 2.95 in girls’ parents. Also, 78.6% of participants had at least five wrong beliefs or excuses for not vaccinating their children. Notably, 82.8% of mothers and 84.3% of fathers were vaccinated with 2 - 3 doses against COVID-19. The most common wrong beliefs were probable vaccines’ side effects in the future, the undesirable effect of vaccination on children’s growth, and the awful effect of the vaccine on fertility, with a prevalence of 82.7%, 81.2%, and 76.7%, respectively. Conclusions: This study identified that most participants believed that COVID-19 vaccines have side effects for their children and unfavorable effects on children’s growth and infertility.