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Importance Adverse outcomes of COVID-19 in the pediatric population include disease and hospitalization, leading to school absenteeism. Booster vaccination for eligible individuals across all ages may promote health and school attendance. Objective To assess whether accelerating COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccination uptake across the general population would be associated with reduced pediatric hospitalizations and school absenteeism. Design, Setting, and Participants In this decision analytical model, a simulation model of COVID-19 transmission was fitted to reported incidence data from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2022, with outcomes simulated from October 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. The transmission model included the entire age-stratified US population, and the outcome model included children younger than 18 years. Interventions Simulated scenarios of accelerated bivalent COVID-19 booster campaigns to achieve uptake that was either one-half of or similar to the age-specific uptake observed for 2020 to 2021 seasonal influenza vaccination in the eligible population across all age groups. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes were estimated hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and isolation days of symptomatic infection averted among children aged 0 to 17 years and estimated days of school absenteeism averted among children aged 5 to 17 years under the accelerated bivalent booster campaign simulated scenarios. Results Among children aged 5 to 17 years, a COVID-19 bivalent booster campaign achieving age-specific coverage similar to influenza vaccination could have averted an estimated 5 448 694 (95% credible interval [CrI], 4 936 933-5 957 507) days of school absenteeism due to COVID-19 illness. In addition, the booster campaign could have prevented an estimated 10 019 (95% CrI, 8756-11 278) hospitalizations among the pediatric population aged 0 to 17 years, of which 2645 (95% CrI, 2152-3147) were estimated to require intensive care. A less ambitious booster campaign with only 50% of the age-specific uptake of influenza vaccination among eligible individuals could have averted an estimated 2 875 926 (95% CrI, 2 524 351-3 332 783) days of school absenteeism among children aged 5 to 17 years and an estimated 5791 (95% CrI, 4391-6932) hospitalizations among children aged 0 to 17 years, of which 1397 (95% CrI, 846-1948) were estimated to require intensive care. Conclusions and Relevance In this decision analytical model, increased uptake of bivalent booster vaccination among eligible age groups was associated with decreased hospitalizations and school absenteeism in the pediatric population. These findings suggest that although COVID-19 prevention strategies often focus on older populations, the benefits of booster campaigns for children may be substantial.
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This content will become publicly available on April 1, 2027
A Cross-Sectional Study Examining Vaccine Uptake and Attitudes Among Parents Compared to Other Adults
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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- PAR ID:
- 10687110
- Publisher / Repository:
- Sage Publisher
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Health Education & Behavior
- Volume:
- 53
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1090-1981
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 128 to 138
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- vaccine hesitancy parents children COVID-19 influenza
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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