As of March 21, 2022, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected more than 472 million people worldwide and has caused more than 6.09 million deaths. . Australia has recorded over 3.97 million cases of COVID-19 and over 5,700 deaths.
Study: Mothers’ willingness to vaccinate young children against COVID-19, get tested and isolate: a cross-sectional survey before and during the 2021 Greater Sydney lockdown, Australia. Image credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com
COVID-19 in Australia
Prior to the rollout of vaccination programs in Australia, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was controlled through lockdowns, strict border closures, high levels of testing and self-isolation. Vaccines for COVID-19 are currently available for adults and children over the age of five in Australia.
About 95% of the population aged 16 and under and 78% of children aged 12 to 15 received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021 in New South Wales (NSW). Vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 have been available since 10 January 2022 in New South Wales.
However, distrust of vaccines remains a major barrier to vaccine introduction. Recent studies have identified several socio-demographic factors associated with vaccine hesitancy, some of which include low levels of education, female gender, younger age, and non-white ethnicity. Other factors include concerns about vaccine safety, efficacy, side effects, and distrust of governments and science.
Vaccines against COVID-19 for newborns and children under five have not yet been approved in Australia. Although children and adolescents have a lower likelihood of death and severe outcomes, increased transmission of SARS-CoV-2 will lead to an increase in adverse events. Thus, understanding the willingness of mothers to vaccinate their young children is essential for developing public health campaigns and policies for this age group.
New Research Paper Published Preprints with The Lancet / SSRN First Look* investigated whether family demographic factors are related to mothers’ willingness to vaccinate their four-year-olds if a suitable vaccine becomes available, or their willingness to self-isolate and get tested if they develop symptoms. The study also examined whether the timing of the Greater Sydney lockdown in 2021 affected their readiness.
About the study
The current study was conducted from 24 February 2021 to 26 October 2021 and covered the period before and during the Greater Sydney lockdown. The participants included in the study were mothers of four-year-old children who were recruited from four local health districts in New South Wales.
After that, the data were collected and the research variable “survey time” was generated. Recruited mothers were asked survey questions to assess their willingness to vaccinate their young children, self-isolate and get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Research results
Of the 604 mothers recruited, 491 completed the COVID-19 questionnaire. Of the 491 mothers, 251 were interviewed before quarantine, 234 during quarantine, and six after quarantine. Participants during and after quarantine were combined into one group.
There were no statistically significant differences in most family and demographic factors between those who participated in the survey and those who did not, except for age. There were no differences in family demographic characteristics between those who filled out the questionnaire before and during quarantine.
Most mothers were willing to self-isolate and get tested if they had symptoms of COVID-19. The willingness to be tested was higher among those who were interviewed during quarantine, while the willingness to self-isolate was the same in both groups. In addition, only 50% of mothers were willing to vaccinate their children if a suitable vaccine became available.
In addition, mothers who were married or had a de facto partner were more likely to self-isolate when symptomatic compared to unmarried mothers. Mothers over 30 who completed the questionnaire during quarantine were also more likely to be tested when they had symptoms. In addition, mothers were more likely to vaccinate their children if the child’s father had a university degree or higher.
conclusions
Taken together, the results of the study show that mothers’ ethnicity was not associated with their willingness to vaccinate their children or to self-isolate and get tested when they had symptoms of COVID-19. Factors such as the age of the mother, the level of education of the child’s father, and the marital status of the mother have been found to affect mothers’ willingness to vaccinate their children or get tested. However, better research is needed to understand the impact of ethnicity on various knowledge, practices, and attitudes related to COVID-19.
Restrictions
No causal inferences can be drawn from the results of the study, and sampling bias was present in the current study. Additional limitations included the length of the questionnaire, and the ability to generalize the results of the study may have been limited due to the location of the survey.
*Important note
Preprints with The Lancet / SSRN First Look publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and therefore should not be considered definitive, guiding clinical practice/health-related behavior, or considered as established information.
Link to the journal:
- Wen L.M., Xu H., Rissel K., and others. (2022). Mothers’ willingness to vaccinate young children against COVID-19, get tested and isolate: a cross-sectional survey before and during the 2021 Greater Sydney lockdown, Australia. Lancet. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4059230.
