Allergic Children’s Parents’ Hesitancy About COVID-19 Vaccination

Objective: With the approval of the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children, their administration has started in many countries. However, families have some hesitations about vaccinating their children with the COVID-19 vaccines. The aim of this study was to determine the COVID-19 vaccination rates in allergic children aged 12-19 years and to evaluate contributing factors to vaccine hesitation. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out in a Pediatric Allergy Department of a university-affiliated hospital between 15th December 2021 and 15th February 2022. Parents of allergic children who agreed to participate in this study constituted the study population (n=261).Results: Of the 261 children with allergic diseases, 137 (52.4%) had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 89.3% of the mothers and 92.3% of the fathers had at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among children who were not vaccinated (n=124), the leading reason was the novelty of the vaccine, and the second reason was the side effects. The perceived stress scale score of the parents in the vaccinated group was significantly (p <0.05) higher than in the unvaccinated group.Conclusion: Although there is an effective and safe vaccine for children during the pandemic, vaccination rates are not yet at the desired level.