COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Parents of Children Younger than 12 Years: Experience from a Tertiary Outpatient Clinic

This study explored parents' attitudes towards vaccinating their children against COVID-19 and the rate of vaccine hesitancy in Oman. A cross-sectional, online, self-administered questionnaire, previously validated and administered between June 2021 and May 2022, was used. The questionnaire consisted of nine items. Parents of children younger than 12 years were eligible for participation. A total of 384 participants, including 207 males (54%), completed the questionnaire, resulting in an 86% response rate (384/447). The results showed that 69% of participants were hesitant to vaccinate their children aged 1-11 years. In parents of children aged 1-4 years, vaccination status was significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy (odds ratio [OR], 0.116; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.044-0.306; p = 0.001). Furthermore, after multivariable analysis, compared to the fathers, mothers were significantly less likely to be associated with vaccine hesitancy (OR, 0.451; 95% CI, 0.240-0.848; p = 0.013).