Parents' Perceptions and Intention to Vaccinate Their Children Against COVID-19: Results From a Cross-Sectional National Survey in India

BACKGROUND: Despite the success of adult vaccination against COVID-19, providing vaccines to children remains a challenge for policymakers globally. As parents are primary decision-makers for their children, we aimed to assess parents' perceptions and intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccination in India. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based study was designed, parents or caregivers (N = 770) were recruited through snowball sampling using Google form. Cross-tabulation was performed by parents' intention to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 virus with sociodemographic characteristics and their risk perception toward COVID-19, trust in the healthcare system, and their history of vaccine hesitancy behavior. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to compute the predictors of child vaccination intention among Indian parents. RESULTS: Seven hundred and seventy parents across the country have completed the survey. Of the 770 participants, 258 (33.5%) have shown intent to vaccinate their children. The stated likelihood of child vaccination was greater among parents who had a bachelor's degree or higher education (aOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.15–3.51); as well as among parents who intended to vaccinate themselves (aOR: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.30–4.67). Parental concerns centered around vaccine safety and side effects. CONCLUSION: Indian parents reported high knowledge of the COVID-19 virus and were aware of the development of a vaccine. However, about one-third of parents intended to vaccinate their children, and about half of them were not sure whether to vaccinate their children or not against the COVID-19 virus. The study highlighted the need for health promotion strategies that promote vaccine uptake among parents.