Willingness and Perception of Caregivers on Covid-19 Vaccination of Their Children Under 12 Years in Tertiary Hospitals in Kenya

Abstract

Background: The Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has resulted into high morbidity and mortality disease globally. The emergence of Covid-19 vaccination has come as a relief in alleviating adverse complications of the disease. Vaccination for children has also been prioritized with an intention to control disease transmission and spread. However, the willingness of parents/guardians in vaccinating their children has been met with varied perception with some being hesitant while others have high level of willingness. Objectives: To determine caregivers’ perception on Covid-19 vaccine and willingness to vaccinate their children less than 12 years in tertiary hospitals in Nairobi. Methodology: The study adopted a mixed method study design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative techniques. For quantitative data, consecutive sampling technique was used to enroll 379 parents/caregivers of children less than 12 years. The parent’s attitude about childhood vaccine (PACV) tool was used to assess willingness. For qualitative data, two focus group discussions consisting of individuals selected purposively were conducted in both Gertrude children hospital and Kenyatta National hospital. Results: Majority of the respondents, 76% (n =288) were female, 56.2% (n =213) were aged between 31 to 40 years. Most of the respondents, 90.2% (342) were married. Regarding education level, 45.1% (n =171) had secondary level education. In addition, 68.3% (n =259) of the respondents had received Covid-19 vaccination. The willingness of covid-19 vaccine uptake for their children was low at 43.3% (95%CI: 55% to 65.1%). A bivariate and subsequent multivariate analysis found that caregivers with higher level of education (secondary level (AOR =2.29, 95%CI:1.17 – 4.48, p=0.015 and tertiary level (AOR =2.38, 95%CI1.37 – 4.13, p =0.002), those who were vaccinated against Covid-19 (AOR=4.0, 95%CI:2.25 -7.02, p<0.001) , those who had older children (aged 3 -5 years (AOR=4.15, 95%CI:1.92 – 8.95, p<0.001), 6 -8 years(AOR =3.41, 95%CI:1.61 – 7.24, p<0.001) and presence of underlying conditions (AOR=5.16, 95%CI:3.14 - 8.47)) were associated with increased willingness to vaccinate. Common challenges to willingness included lack of knowledge on vaccination, being skeptical of the vaccine, potential side effects and hidden agenda by the government. Conclusion and recommendations: The willingness to vaccinate children as reported by parents/caregivers in this population was low. Level of education, caregiver vaccination status, age of children and underlying conditions were significantly associated with increased willingness to vaccinate against Covid-19 vaccine. Thus, there is need to conduct effective vaccine campaigns to focus on risk perception and importance of the vaccine