Fewer than half of Hoosier parents will vaccinate their kids against COVID-19, survey says

Indianapolis Star - 8/31/2021

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt schools around the state, a survey of Hoosier parents found fewer than half have or plan to get their child vaccinated against the virus.

In response to the survey, a collaboration between IUPUI, the Indiana Department of Health and the Indiana Department of Education, 44.8% of parents and caregivers said that they will be vaccinating their children or already have. Another 13% said they want to wait and see the effects of the vaccine before vaccinating their child.

That leaves another 42.2% of respondents that said they will not vaccinate their child or will only do so if required. The response shows the massive hurdle that schools and public health officials face in trying to get more eligible children vaccinated.

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"These survey results generated evidence for local and state decision-makers," said Nir Menachemi, lead researcher on the study and a professor and Fairbanks Endowed Chair in the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI and IU Fort Wayne. "A lot of parents view the COVID-19 vaccine as risky, even riskier than the disease itself. With this data, we can recommend interventions that can be used to address vaccine hesitancy in communities."

Knowing someone who died or was hospitalized because of COVID-19 increased the likelihood that a parent or caregivers was willing to vaccinate their child, Menachemi said.

Outside of knowing someone who'd suffered with a serious case of the disease, though, researchers looked for other ways to increase the willingness of a family to vaccinate their eligible children. The survey, which was given from May to June to more than 10,000 parents and caregivers of school-age children, sought to understand the reasons parents may not want to vaccinate their children, allowing public health officials to begin addressing those concerns.

For example, the survey found that many in the "wait and see" category were more concerned about the effects of the vaccine on their child than protecting vulnerable populations or getting back to normal. A recommendation from a trusted health care provider could help address those concerns and encourage those families to vaccinate their children, results showed.

Based on the survey findings, researchers developed recommendations to policymakers for increasing vaccination rates, including fewer mass media campaigns and more targeted, community-based work. That includes looking for ways to better incorporate trusted health care providers, such as family doctors.

"Vaccination efforts have to be an investment in the communities we are trying to serve," said Katharine Head, associate professor of communication studies at the School of Liberal Arts. "Nationally, primary care physicians and pediatricians have not been front and center with vaccine promotion efforts, even though health care providers are often considered trusted members of the community."

These efforts may be crucial as the pandemic continues to surge, upending education and impacting children more profoundly than earlier stages. While children 12 and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, vaccination rates are still low among those age groups.

Just 27.5% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 are fully vaccinated and 37.9% of teens age 16 to 19.

Indiana schools set a new record this week for the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported to the state's database. On last Monday alone, more than 1,300 students tested positive — hundreds more any other day since schools began reporting to the state last July. The next highest one day total was the Monday before.

Still, the state reported that many schools have stopped participating in the dashboard so cases in schools are likely much higher. The dashboard also doesn't information about any students identified as a close contact and required to quarantine. While individual school districts are reporting dozens of new cases, they're reporting hundreds of students in quarantine — missing weeks of in-person school.

More cases: 6,000 new COVID cases reported, setting record for Indiana schools

While many schools have resorted to reinstating mask mandates to keep quarantine numbers down, there is little schools can do other than incentivize vaccination. Schools take mandatory vaccination guidance — for everything from measles to whooping cough — from state health officials who have said they have no current plans to mandate the vaccine.

Meanwhile, several schools and school districts have already had to return to fully remote learning due to high absentee rates and increases in positive cases among students.

Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at 317-201-5620 or email her at Arika.Herron@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.