Reasons for vaccination hesitancy against covid-19 in children and young people: a qualitative‒quantitative study

Authors

  • Maressa de Carvalho Fragoso Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Roque Alves da Silva Junior Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Juliana André Vindor Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Lucas Andrade Campelo Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo Brazil
  • Natália Cariello Brotas Corrêa Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo Brazil
  • Bárbara Guimarães Oliveira Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo Brazil
  • Lázaro Soares de Oliveira Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo Brazil
  • Beatriz Astori Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Maria de Fatima Araujo da Fonseca Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • João Oliveira Sampaio Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Giovana Meriguete Brambati Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo Brazil
  • Manuela Martins Cruz Pharmaceutical Services Coordination, Prefeitura Municipal de Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Girlandia Alexandre Brasil Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil, Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Tadeu Uggere de Andrade Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil, Department of Medicine, Universidade Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil, Department of Research, Instituto Capixaba de Ensino, Pesquisa e Inovação, Espírito Santo, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6387-7895

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902025e24454

Keywords:

Vaccination Hesitancy, Vaccine, COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating socioeconomic impact and reignited the debate on vaccination and the hesitancy to vaccinate children and young people. This study sought to understand the reasons related to the behaviour of parents in vaccinating their children aged 5 to 17 years against COVID-19 with currently available vaccines; this study was conducted from June 2022 to July 2022. This work was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study with a qualitative‒quantitative approach. The individuals in the sample had a mean age of 12 years, were mostly public school students, did not have COVID-19, and had a complete vaccination card. Parents who had vaccinated their children reported understanding that vaccination supports immunity, whereas those who had not vaccinated their children did not trust the COVID-19 vaccine. The ability to recognize fake vaccine related information was greater among parents who vaccinated their children (72.4%) than among those who did not (38.0%; p<0.05). The behaviours involved in vaccinating against COVID-19 are multifactorial, and factors such as children’s age, lack of confidence in the efficiency and safety of vaccines, parents’ age, ability to use information appropriately for health decision-making and low ability to recognize fake vaccine-related information are involved in these behaviours.

 

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Published

2025-11-10

Data Availability Statement

Not informed.

Issue

Vol. 61 (2025)

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How to Cite

Reasons for vaccination hesitancy against covid-19 in children and young people: a qualitative‒quantitative study. (2025). Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 61, e24454. https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902025e24454