Decision-making on childhood vaccination against COVID-19 by nurses in Cyprus: A cross-sectional online survey

Individuals with high health literacy, such as healthcare workers, are expected to appreciate vaccination benefits and ensure the vaccination of their children. The objective of this study was to examine the factors influencing nurses' decision to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. An online cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2020 (8(th)-28(th)), before COVID-19 vaccine availability in Cyprus, and employed an anonymous self-administered survey with questions related to socio-demographic characteristics, general vaccine knowledge, and COVID-19 vaccination. Three hundred five nurses with at least one minor child completed the online questionnaire. A small proportion of participants (15.2%) planned to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19. Interestingly, a higher level of vaccination knowledge score was linked with increased likelihood of vaccination intention (OR = 1.35, 95% CI:1.08-1.68), which remained statistically significant after adjusting for age and gender (OR = 1.33, 95% CI:1.06-1.66), socioeconomic (OR = 1.35, 95% CI:1.07-1.70), and demographic characteristics (OR = 1.38, 95% CI:1.07-1.77). Specific characteristics such as older age and being married/in cohabitation status were linked to higher odds of accepting the childhood vaccination against COVID-19. Acceptance of childhood vaccination against COVID-19 is linked with nurses' vaccination knowledge, therefore, public health authorities may focus on educational campaigns to promote childhood vaccination.