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 (8th–28th), 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.

健康素养较高的人群（如医护人员）理应能够充分认知疫苗接种的益处，并保障子女完成规范疫苗接种。本研究旨在探讨影响护士为子女接种新冠疫苗决策的相关因素。本研究于2020年12月8日至28日，即在塞浦路斯新冠疫苗获批上市前，开展了一项线上横断面研究（cross-sectional study），采用匿名自填式问卷，问卷内容涵盖社会人口学特征、通用疫苗知识以及新冠疫苗接种相关情况。最终共有305名至少育有一名未成年子女的护士完成了本次线上调研。仅少数受访者（15.2%）计划为子女接种新冠疫苗。值得注意的是，疫苗知识得分越高，其子女新冠疫苗接种意愿越强（比值比（Odds Ratio，简称OR）=1.35，95%置信区间（Confidence Interval，简称CI）:1.08–1.68）；在校正年龄、性别（OR=1.33，95%CI:1.06–1.66）、社会经济状况（OR=1.35，95%CI:1.07–1.70）以及人口学特征（OR=1.38，95%CI:1.07–1.77）后，该关联仍具有统计学意义。年龄较大、已婚或处于同居状态等个体特征，与子女新冠疫苗接种接受度更高存在显著关联。儿童新冠疫苗接种接受度与护士的疫苗知识水平密切相关，因此公共卫生部门可针对性开展宣教活动，以推动儿童新冠疫苗接种工作。