Parents’ Willingness to Vaccinate Their Children Against Seasonal Influenza After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Data of the Study Participants

Variable		N	%
Gender	Male	862	34.5
	Female	1639	65.5
Guardians	Father	796	31.8
	Mother	1451	58.0
	Others	254	10.2
Age	19–25 years	492	19.7
	26–35 years	703	28.1
	36–45 years	753	30.1
	Over 45 years	553	22.1
Nationality	Saudi	2435	97.4
	Non-Saudi	66	2.6
Marital status	Widowed	115	4.6
	Married	2162	86.4
	Divorced	224	9.0
Region	Southern region	582	23.3
	Eastern region	547	21.9
	Northern region	312	12.5
	Western region	604	24.2
	Central region	456	18.2
Educational level	Illiterate	41	1.6
	Elementary school	24	1.0
	Intermediate school	80	3.2
	High school	358	14.3
	Diploma	245	9.8
	Bachelor’s	1459	58.3
	Higher Education (Master’s and PhD)	294	11.8
Monthly income	Less than 800 USD	261	10.4
	USD 800–USD 1333	425	17.0
	USD 1334–USD 3200	785	31.4
	USD 3201–USD 5333	611	24.4
	Over USD 5333	419	16.8
Working in health care field	No	2031	81.2
	Yes	470	18.8
Child age	6–11 months	236	9.4
	1–2 years	290	11.6
	3–5 years	477	19.1
	6–13 years	919	36.7
	14–18 years	579	23.2
Child gender	Female	1185	47.4
	Male	1316	52.6
Chronic illness	No	2283	91.3
	Yes	218	8.7
Receiving medication	No	2286	91.4
	Yes	215	8.6
Have you vaccinated your child with all the basic vaccinations according to the “Ministry of Health Vaccinations Schedule?”	No	191	7.6
	Yes	2310	92.4

Table 2 Questions Regarding the Acceptability of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

Variable		N	%
Has your child been vaccinated with the seasonal influenza vaccine in the last 12 months?	No	1439	57.5
	Yes	745	29.8
	I do not know	317	12.7
If the answer to the previous question is “No,” please specify the reason:	My child is allergic to the vaccine	135	5.4
	My child is afraid of needles and syringes	484	19.4
	My child is less likely to get seasonal flu	617	24.7
	My child has a health condition that prevents him from taking the vaccine	112	4.5
	Fear of my child getting seasonal flu because of the vaccine	355	14.2
	Fear of my child suffering from side effects from the seasonal flu vaccine	491	19.6
	Fear that the vaccine will not work	385	15.4
	I do not have enough time to vaccinate my child	314	12.6
	I do not trust news about the seasonal flu vaccine	429	17.2
Have you had the seasonal influenza vaccine in the last 12 months?	No	1391	55.6
	Yes	933	37.3
	I do not know	177	7.1
If the answer to the previous question is “No,” please specify the reason	I am allergic to the vaccine	126	5.0
	Fear of needles and syringes	208	8.3
	I am less likely to get seasonal flu	544	21.8
	I have a health condition that prevents you from taking the vaccine	129	5.2
	Fear of seasonal flu due to vaccination	295	11.8
	Fear of side effects from the vaccine	355	14.2
	Fear that the vaccine will not work	345	13.8
	I do not have enough time to get vaccinated	373	14.9
	I do not trust news about the seasonal flu vaccine	381	15.2
Are you planning to give your child the seasonal flu vaccine next year after the COVID-19 pandemic?	Less likely	730	29.2
	More likely	1185	47.4
	No changes	586	23.4
Are you planning to get the seasonal flu shot next year after the COVID-19 pandemic?	Less likely	683	27.3
	More likely	1222	48.9
	No changes	596	23.8
Are you worried that your child will catch seasonal influenza?	No	915	36.6
	Yes	1361	54.4
	I do not know	225	9.0

Table 3 Questions Regarding the Acceptability of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Variable		N	%
Have you had the emerging COVID-19?	No	1759	70.3
	Yes	667	26.7
	I do not know	75	3.0
Has your child contracted the emerging COVID-19?	No	2061	82.4
	Yes	346	13.8
	I do not know	94	3.8
Have you taken the novel COVID-19 vaccine?	No	415	16.6
	Yes	2086	83.4
If the answer to the previous question is “No,” do you plan to take it?	No	2086	83.4
	Yes	415	16.6
Would you accept giving your child the novel COVID-19 vaccine if it was allowed from the Ministry of Health?	No	378	15.1
	Yes	1851	74.0
	I do not know	272	10.9
Are you worried that your child may be infected with the emerging COVID-19?	No	502	20.1
	Yes	1851	74.0
	I do not know	148	5.9

Table 4 Questions Regarding the Information Sources and Trust of the Vaccine

Variable		N	%
Usual sources of medical information (n = 6809)	Internet	2230	32.8
	Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical company reports	366	5.4
	Social networking sites (such as Twitter and Instagram)	981	14.4
	Media (such as television or radio)	837	12.3
	Scientific articles	668	9.7
	Health workers	1110	16.3
	Family and friends	617	9.1
Do you trust the sources you have chosen?	No	208	8.3
	Yes	1939	77.5
	I do not know	354	14.2

Table 5 Factors Associated with the Parents’ Willingness to Vaccinate Their Children Against Seasonal Influenza After the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Variable		Are You Planning to Give Your Child the Seasonal Flu Vaccine Next Year After the COVID-19 Pandemic?			P value
		Less likely	More likely	No changes
		N (%)	N (%)	N (%)
Gender	Male	235	423	204	0.285
		32.2%	35.7%	34.8%
Guardians	Father	214	391	191	0.052
		29.3%	33.0%	32.6%
	Mother	456	664	331
		62.5%	56.0%	56.5%
	Others	60	130	64
		8.2%	11.0%	10.9%
Age	19–25 years	129	254	109	0.070
		17.7%	21.4%	18.6%
	26–35 years	225	300	178
		30.8%	25.3%	30.4%
	36–45 years	225	361	167
		30.8%	30.5%	28.5%
	Over 45 years	151	270	132
		20.7%	22.8%	22.5%
Nationality	Saudi	716	1154	565	0.291
		98.1%	97.4%	96.4%
	Non-Saudi	14	31	21
		1.9%	2.6%	3.6%
Marital status	Widowed	28	60	27	0.809
		3.8%	5.1%	4.6%
	Married	636	1019	507
		87.1%	86.0%	86.5%
	Divorced	66	106	52
		9.0%	8.9%	8.9%
Region	Southern region	162	321	99	0.0001**
		22.2%	27.1%	16.9%
	Eastern region	195	237	115
		26.7%	20.0%	19.6%
	Northern region	74	141	97
		10.1%	11.9%	16.6%
	Western region	148	308	148
		20.3%	26.0%	25.3%
	Central region	151	178	127
		20.7%	15.0%	21.7%
Educational level	Illiterate	13	20	8	0.0001**
		1.8%	1.7%	1.4%
	Elementary school	9	8	7
		1.2%	0.7%	1.2%
	Intermediate school	36	28	16
		4.9%	2.4%	2.7%
	High school	108	184	66
		14.8%	15.5%	11.3%
	Diploma	76	105	64
		10.4%	8.9%	10.9%
	Bachelor’s	432	677	350
		59.2%	57.1%	59.7%
	Higher Education (Master’s and PhD)	56	163	75
		7.7%	13.8%	12.8%
Monthly income	Less than USD 800	96	125	40	0.0001**
		13.2%	10.5%	6.8%
	USD 800–USD 1333	147	188	90
		20.1%	15.9%	15.4%
	USD 1334–USD 3200	229	360	196
		31.4%	30.4%	33.4%
	USD 3201–USD 5333	157	293	161
		21.5%	24.7%	27.5%
	Over USD 5333	101	219	99
		13.8%	18.5%	16.9%
Working in the health care field	No	604	923	504	0.0001**
		82.7%	77.9%	86.0%
	Yes	126	262	82
		17.3%	22.1%	14.0%
Child age	6–11 months	68	121	47	0.116
		9.3%	10.2%	8.0%
	1–2 years	87	146	57
		11.9%	12.3%	9.7%
	3–5 years	134	224	119
		18.4%	18.9%	20.3%
	6–13 years	282	411	226
		38.6%	34.7%	38.6%
	14–18years	159	283	137
		21.8%	23.9%	23.4%
Gender of child	Female	291	605	289	0.0001**
		39.9%	51.1%	49.3%
	Male	439	580	297
		60.1%	48.9%	50.7%
Chronic illness	No	647	1100	536	0.007*
		88.6%	92.8%	91.5%
	Yes	83	85	50
		11.4%	7.2%	8.5%
Receiving medication	No	659	1094	533	0.272
		90.3%	92.3%	91.0%
	Yes	71	91	53
		9.7%	7.7%	9.0%
Have you vaccinated your child with all the basic vaccinations according to the “Ministry of Health Vaccinations Schedule”?	No	77	66	48	0.0001**
		10.5%	5.6%	8.2%
	Yes	653	1119	538
		89.5%	94.4%	91.8%
Has your child been vaccinated with the seasonal influenza vaccine in the last 12 months?	No	520	503	416	0.0001**
		71.2%	42.4%	71.0%
	Yes	121	533	91
		16.6%	45.0%	15.5%
	I do not know	89	149	79
		12.2%	12.6%	13.5%
Have you had the seasonal influenza vaccine in the last 12 months?	No	513	456	422	0.0001**
		70.3%	38.5%	72.0%
	Yes	170	643	120
		23.3%	54.3%	20.5%
	I do not know	47	86	44
		6.4%	7.3%	7.5%
Are you planning to get the seasonal flu shot next year after the COVID-19 pandemic?	Less likely	578	65	40	0.0001**
		79.2%	5.5%	6.8%
	More likely	96	1079	47
		13.2%	91.1%	8.0%
	No changes	56	41	499
		7.7%	3.5%	85.2%
Are you worried that your child will catch seasonal influenza?	No	366	272	277	0.0001**
		50.1%	23.0%	47.3%
	Yes	305	840	216
		41.8%	70.9%	36.9%
	I do not know	59	73	93
		8.1%	6.2%	15.9%
Have you had the emerging COVID-19?	No	536	825	398	0.0001**
		73.4%	69.6%	67.9%
	Yes	168	340	159
		23.0%	28.7%	27.1%
	I do not know	26	20	29
		3.6%	1.7%	4.9%
Has your child contracted the emerging COVID-19?	No	601	982	478	0.001*
		82.3%	82.9%	81.6%
	Yes	92	178	76
		12.6%	15.0%	13.0%
	I do not know	37	25	32
		5.1%	2.1%	5.5%
Have you taken the COVID-19 vaccine?	No	148	151	116	0.0001**
		20.3%	12.7%	19.8%
	Yes	582	1034	470
		79.7%	87.3%	80.2%
If the answer to the previous question is “No,” do you plan to take it?	No	92	24	37	0.0001**
		12.6%	2.0%	6.3%
	Yes	117	213	87
		16.0%	18.0%	14.8%
	I do not know	39	31	26
		5.3%	2.6%	4.4%
	Not applicable	482	917	436
		66.0%	77.4%	74.4%
Would you accept giving your child the COVID-19 vaccine if it was allowed by the Ministry of Health?	No	195	77	106	0.0001**
		26.7%	6.5%	18.1%
	Yes	421	1039	391
		57.7%	87.7%	66.7%
	I do not know	114	69	89
		15.6%	5.8%	15.2%
Are you worried that your child may be infected with the emerging COVID-19?	No	209	154	138	0.0001**
		28.6%	13.0%	23.5%
	Yes	472	983	397
		64.7%	83.0%	67.7%
	I do not know	49	48	51
		6.7%	4.1%	8.7%
Do you trust the sources you have chosen?	No	104	57	47	0.0001**
		14.2%	4.8%	8.0%
	Yes	534	996	409
		73.2%	84.1%	69.8%
	I do not know	92	132	130
		12.6%	11.1%	22.2%

Note: *p<0.05, **p<0.0001.