Attitudes Toward COVID‐19 Vaccination Among Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients and Their Caregivers
The COVID-19 vaccine is indicated for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), yet patients and caregivers may have unique questions and concerns about vaccination. We surveyed children with ALL or their caregivers (N = 44) to understand factors contributing to the decision to vaccinate and identify cues to vaccination tailored to this population. For caregivers of unvaccinated ALL patients, lack of knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine and concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy were the most reported barriers to vaccination. A recommendation from a hematologist/oncologist and vaccine safety and efficacy data in children with ALL were the most cited cues to vaccination.
Authors
- Michelle Science (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2855-8570)
- Sarah W. Alexander (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9695-1702)
- Tania H. Watts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7897-4890)
- Shelly Bolotin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9100-5928)
- Gilla K. Shapiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2214-8263)
- Sumit Gupta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1334-3670)
- Janna R. Shapiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-2506)
Institutions
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Hospital for Sick Children (CA)
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (CA)
- Public Health Ontario (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pediatric Blood & Cancer
- Published
- 2025-03-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31696
- Primary Topic
- Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Canadian Immunization Research Network
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research