Publication date: Jun 01, 2023

Background Vaccine hesitancy is a growing concern worldwide, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim was to investigate vaccine hesitancy and its determinants among parents in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among parents using a validated and reliable questionnaire, the parent attitudes about childhood vaccines (PACV). Parents of children aged (two months to seven years) attending primary health care centers (PHCC) outpatient clinics were selected using a stratified sampling technique and interviewed to fill out the pre-structured questionnaire. Result The study included 301 parents, with 41. 2% between the ages of 30-39 years and 25. 2%% between 40-49 years. Mothers constituted 69. 1% of the respondents. The most common sources of information regarding vaccinations were the doctor (34. 9%), the internet (27. 9%), and social media (16. 6%). COVID-19 influenced the beliefs of more than half (52. 5%) of parents regarding the importance of vaccinations. The median PACV score for vaccination hesitancy was 23. 3/100, interquartile range (IQR) (13. 3-33. 3). The highest hesitation was among the age group of 30-39 years old (21. 6%) and those whose beliefs were not influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic (16. 1% vs. 5. 7%) (p-value=0. 003). The study found a significant difference in vaccine hesitancy rates between the different sources of information (p-value

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Original Article