Investigating and comparing the attitude and awareness towards COVID-19 vaccines in parents of children with rheumatological diseases versus parents of healthy children: A cross-sectional study

The effectiveness of vaccination is maximized when accepted by a large proportion of the population. Although many studies indicate that children's mortality and morbidity in COVID-19 are lower than in adults, vaccinating children is essential to control the epidemic. The importance of vaccination is particularly pronounced for children with rheumatological diseases, as they are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. This study aims to assess the attitude and awareness of the parents of children with rheumatological diseases and compare the results with parents of healthy children. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Children's Medical Center in Tehran, Iran. The target population consisted of 2 groups: parents of children diagnosed with rheumatological diseases, defined as the case group, and parents of children with no underlying diseases, defined as the control group. Data were collected through a questionnaire filled out by the parents. The occurrence of vaccine complications in the close contacts significantly affected the vaccine acceptance (P = .001). Those who adhered to the pandemic measures were more likely to accept the vaccine (odds ratio [OR]: 14.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.09-99.61, P = .007). The case group was 12.5 times more likely to refuse vaccination (OR: 12.54, 95% CI: 2.24-70.24, P = .004). Additionally, vaccine refusal in the close contacts increased vaccine hesitancy by 8.5 times (OR: 8.41, 95% CI: 2.29-30.85, P = .001). However, the results must be interpreted cautiously due to a wide confidence interval and limited statistical power. Vaccine acceptance between the 2 groups of parents is significantly different. The reasons for refusing the vaccine indicate that parents of children with underlying diseases, who are at greater risk for COVID-19, require more education and reassurance from their physicians, since this group may find it more challenging to trust vaccination.