Evaluation of Willingness to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine and Willingness to Pay among Pakistani Parents for Their Children Aged 5 to 11 Years: Findings and Implications

ABSTRACT. Vaccines are the most efficient and cost-effective tool to halt the transmission and prevention of COVID-19. The current study examined the willingness of parents to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional study that used a questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model, previous history of COVID-19, willingness to accept, and willingness to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine. The questionnaire was administered among parents of children aged 5 to 11 years. Descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, and regression analysis were carried out for data analysis. A total of 474 respondents participated in this survey with a response rate of 67.7%. In our study, a majority of the respondents exhibited a willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine for their children (Definitely yes/Probably yes = 252, 53.2%); nevertheless, 229 (48.3%) respondents were unwilling to pay for it. More than three-quarters of the respondents were worried about the probability of COVID-19 infection in their children (n = 361, 76.2%) and were afraid of COVID-19-associated complications (n = 391, 82.5%). Likewise, most respondents showed their concerns regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine (n = 351, 74.1%), vaccine safety (n = 351, 74.1%), and the halal nature of the vaccine (n = 309, 65.2%). Respondents who were aged 40 to 50 years (odds ratio [OR]: 0.101, 95% CI: 0.38–0.268; P < 0.001), family income > 50,000 PKR (OR: 0.680, 95% CI: 0.321–1.442; P = 0.012), and location (OR: 0.324, 95% CI: 0.167–0.628; P = 0.001) were the factors that were likely to impact vaccine acceptance among parents. Education-based interventions are urgently required to improve COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among parents for their children.