Some children aged 6 months to 8 years old require two doses of influenza vaccination in a given season to obtain sufficient protection against influenza. At the moment, barely half of individuals who receive the first dose receive a second. The goal was to examine vaccination reluctance and influenza illness, as well as vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs among carers of children who had received the first of two required doses. A telephone survey was conducted as part of a national randomised control study of second dose text-message influenza vaccination reminders to collect demographic information from caregivers and index children. Each kid had received the first of two required doses of influenza vaccination. The five-question Parent Attitudes Concerning Childhood Vaccines Survey Tool (PACV-5) and questions about influenza illness and vaccine were completed by caregivers. The study used logistic regression to determine the standardised proportion of caregivers endorsing each outcome and examined relationships between participant demographic factors, vaccination reluctance, and influenza beliefs.
No single variable was consistently linked with incorrect knowledge, attitudes, or beliefs in multivariable models. These findings suggest that caregivers whose children have received their first dose of influenza vaccination may still be vaccine reluctant and have incorrect influenza beliefs. Even after caregivers consent to the first dosage, paediatricians should begin addressing widespread misconceptions and encouraging immunisation.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2019.1707006
