Abstract
Objective
To explore the status and influencing factors of COVID-19 vaccination for 3–7-year-old children born prematurely.
Methods
A questionnaire was administered to parents of preterm infants born between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2019 in Gansu Maternal and Child Health Hospital using convenience sampling.
Results
It was found that 96.81% of 282 parents had known about COVID-19 vaccines and acquired COVID-19- and vaccine-related knowledge primarily through WeChat (104/282, 36.88%) and TikTok (91/282, 32.27%). Most parents of the group whose children were vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine believed that this approach was effective in preventing COVID-19 (49.75%), whereas most parents of the group whose children were not vaccinated were worried about the adverse reaction and safety of the vaccine (45.88%). According to the regression analysis, the risk factors of children born prematurely receiving a COVID-19 vaccine were no vaccination against COVID-19 in the mothers (odds ratio [OR]=48.489, 95% CI: 6.524–360.406) and in younger children (OR=12.157, 95% CI: 6.388–23.139). Previous history of referral (OR=0.229, 95% CI: 0.057–0.920), history of diseases (OR=0.130, 95% CI: 0.034–0.503) and high educational level of guardians (OR=0.142, 95% CI: 0.112–0.557) were protective factors for children born prematurely to receive COVID-19 vaccination.
Conclusion
There is a relatively high proportion of children born prematurely receiving COVID-19 vaccination, but some people still have concerns. Publicity in the later stage can be conducted through WeChat, TikTok and other social media platforms, with special attention paid to the populations with lower education levels.
Data Sharing Statement
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate
This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of Gansu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital (Ethical approval number:(2022) GSFY lun shen NO.14). Written informed consent was obtained from all parents/local guardians.
Disclosure
None of the authors have any personal, financial, commercial, or academic conflicts of interest.