Encouraging vaccine uptake among U.S. residents is an increasingly important public health issue that was magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy, an important correlate of vaccine uptake, has been studied extensively in parents with respect to parental attitudes and decision-making toward vaccinating their children. Less work has examined parent attitudes and behaviors regarding personal vaccine uptake and how COVID-19-related vaccine attitudes and behaviors may differ from other types of vaccine attitudes and behaviors (e.g., influenza vaccination). We surveyed a probability-based sample of 585 United States adults in November 2021. Parents (i.e., primary caregiver of at least one child aged 18 years or younger, living in the home) compared to other adults, demographics (age, sex, income, education, ethnicity, urbanicity), and political affiliation were examined as correlates of COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and COVID-19 and influenza vaccine uptake. Multivariate linear regression analyses examined attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Compared to other adults, parents of children aged 18 years or younger reported more negative attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Multivariate logistic models examined the odds of COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine uptake. Compared to other adults, parents of children aged 18 years or younger had a significantly lower odds of COVID-19 vaccine uptake; differences in influenza vaccine uptake were not statistically significant. Results suggest vaccination attitudes and behaviors may be pathogen specific. Tailored public health messaging that address the concerns of caregivers may help improve vaccine uptake.
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Examining disparities in the early adoption of Covid-19 personal mitigation across family structures
The United States' response to the COVID-19 pandemic has relied heavily on personal mitigation behaviors versus centralized governmental prevention strategies, especially early in the virus's outbreak. This study examines how family structure shapes mitigation, focusing on the intersectional effects of gender, marital status, and the presence of children while accounting for differences in worry about infection from the virus. Using data from a national survey of 10,368 United States adults early in the pandemic (March 2020), survey-weighted logistic regression models show important differences in the likelihood of personal mitigation adoption across family structures. Unmarried women with children were most likely to report personal mitigation behaviors, including washing hands more frequently and avoiding social gatherings. Our findings highlight the differential impacts of the pandemic on those living in specific family circumstances.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2027148
- PAR ID:
- 10417744
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- AIMS Public Health
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2327-8994
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 589 to 605
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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