Brazilian Adults’ Attitudes and Practices Regarding the Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination and Their Hesitancy towards Childhood Vaccination

• Published in: Vaccines (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 11; p. 1853
• Main Authors: Martinez, Edson Zangiacomi, Zucoloto, Miriane Lucindo, Ramos, Vânia Pinheiro, Dutra, Carla Daiane Costa, de Jesus, Giselle Juliana, Esteves, Arinete Véras Fontes, Abreu, Isabella Schroeder, Mombelli, Monica Augusta, Reis, Roberta Alvarenga, Campoamor, Marilia Marcondes, da Silva, Wanderson Roberto, dos Santos, Claudia Benedita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.11.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Adults; Analysis; Attitudes; Children; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Demographic aspects; Federal government; Health behavior; Immunization; paediatrics; Pandemics; Parents; public health; Public opinion; Questionnaires; Social networks; Vaccination; vaccine hesitancy; Brazil
• ISSN: 2076-393X; 2076-393X
• DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111853

Background: This study investigated the attitudes and practices of Brazilian adults regarding the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and their hesitancy towards the vaccination of children. Methods: Between March and May 2022, Brazilian adults answered an online questionnaire distributed through social media. The SAGE-WG questionnaire was adapted to measure hesitancy to the vaccination of children. Results: Of the 1007 participants, 67.4% believed that adult COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory. Just over half of the participants (51.5%) believed that parents and/or guardians should decide if their children should be vaccinated against COVID-19 or not and 9.1% were unsure. Individuals who were younger, non-religious and had higher awareness of COVID-19 risks and critics of the federal government’s performance in combating the pandemic were more likely to agree with mandatory adult vaccination. However, less agreement among parents and/or guardians concerning children’s vaccination was observed, with lower scores for hesitancy to the vaccination of children. Conclusion: In Brazil, there is still far from a consensus on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for adults and a significant proportion of the population believes that parents and/or guardians should be free to decide on their children’s vaccination. These views are associated with age, religion, knowledge of COVID-19 risks and political inclination.