Parents' perspectives on SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations for children: a qualitative analysis

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dc.contributor.author
Wigle, Jannah
Hodwitz, Kathryn
Juando-Prats, Clara
Allan, Kate
Li, Xuedi
Howard, Lisa
Fallon, Barbara
Birken, Catherine S.
Maguire, Jonathon L.
Parsons, Janet A.
dc.date.accessioned
2024-01-02T20:31:53Z
dc.date.available
2024-01-02T20:31:53Z
dc.date.issued
2023-02-21
dc.description.abstract - en
Background: Uptake of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for children aged 5–11 years has been lower than anticipated in Canada. Although research has explored parental intentions toward SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for children, parental decisions regarding vaccinations have not been studied in-depth. We sought to explore reasons why parents chose to vaccinate or not vaccinate their children against SARS-CoV-2 to better understand their decisions. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study involving in-depth individual interviews with a purposive sample of parents in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. We conducted interviews via telephone or video call from February to April 2022 and analyzed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: We interviewed 20 parents. We found that parental attitudes toward SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations for their children represented a complex continuum of concern. We identified 4 cross-cutting themes: the newness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the evidence supporting their use; the perceived politicization of guidance for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; the social pressure surrounding SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations; and the weighing of individual versus collective benefits of vaccination. Parents found making a decision about vaccinating their child challenging and expressed difficulty sourcing and evaluating evidence, determining the trustworthiness of guidance, and balancing their own conceptions of health care decisions with societal expectations and political messaging. Interpretation: Parents’ experiences making decisions regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for their children were complex, even for those who were supportive of SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. These findings provide some explanation for the current patterns of uptake of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among children in Canada; health care providers and public health authorities can consider these insights when planning future vaccine rollouts.
dc.identifier.doi
https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.221401
dc.identifier.issn
1488-2329
dc.identifier.pubmedID
36810223
dc.identifier.uri
https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/1380
dc.language.iso
en
dc.publisher
CMA Impact Inc.
dc.rights - en
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
dc.rights - fr
Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
dc.rights.uri - en
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.rights.uri - fr
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.fr
dc.subject - en
Health
dc.subject - fr
Santé
dc.subject.en - en
Health
dc.subject.fr - fr
Santé
dc.title - en
Parents' perspectives on SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations for children: a qualitative analysis
dc.type - en
Article
dc.type - fr
Article
local.article.journalissue
7
local.article.journaltitle
Canadian Medical Association Journal
local.article.journalvolume
195
local.pagination
E259-E266
local.peerreview - en
Yes
local.peerreview - fr
Oui
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