Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2021
Abstract
Objective: To describe sociodemographic disparities in caregiver beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine for their children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, linking caregiver-reported data to geocoded sociodemographic data from child EHRs. Caregivers of children receiving care in a Delaware pediatric healthcare system were invited to complete a survey about COVID-19 vaccine beliefs from March 19 to April 16, 2021. Results: 1499 caregivers participated (18% Black, 11% Hispanic, 32% public insurance, 12% rural). 54% of caregivers intended to vaccinate their children, while 34% were unsure and 12% would not. Caregivers of younger children (aOR 3.70, CI 2.36-5.79), Black children (aOR 2.11, CI 1.50-2.96), and from disadvantaged communities (aOR 1.59, CI 1.05-2.42) were more likely to be unsure and not vaccinate their children. Caregivers from rural communities were more likely not to vaccinate their children (aOR 2.51, CI 1.56-4.05). Fewer caregivers of younger children, Black children, and from disadvantaged communities believed in the safety or efficacy of the vaccines (p < 0.001), while fewer caregivers of younger children and from rural communities believed in their children’s susceptibility to COVID-19 or risk of getting severe disease from COVID-19 (p < 0.05). While the majority (72%) of caregivers were influenced by health experts, fewer from communities of color and disadvantaged communities were (p<0.001). Conclusions: Caregivers of younger children and from communities of color, rural communities, and disadvantaged communities in Delaware expressed more COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Policy implications: This study explores beliefs of different communities in Delaware, which are important to tailoring public health messaging and strategies to increase vaccine uptake in these communities.
Recommended Citation
Phan, Thao-Ly; Enlow, Paul T; Wong, Michael K.; Lewis, Amanda M.; Kazak, Anne E; and Miller, Jonathan M., "Disparities in Delaware Caregiver Beliefs about the COVID-19 Vaccine for their Children" (2021). Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers. Paper 112.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/pedsfp/112
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author’s final published version in Delaware Journal of Public Health, Volume 7, Issue 5, 2021.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.32481/DJPH.2021.12.015. Copyright © Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association.