Closer adult child–parent relations the stronger the vaccine hesitancy
- Vaccine Affect
- Jan 9
- 1 min read
Wu, Zhu et al.
Closer adult child–parent relations the stronger the vaccine hesitancy: A cross-sectional study of adult children’s attitudes toward pneumococcal vaccination of elderly parents and its determinants in Guangzhou, China
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, Volume 21, 2025 - Issue 1
Published online: 05 Jan 2025
Taylor and Francis Online
In this study a total of 1,597 respondents were enrolled and 59.8% of the adult children in Guangzhou, China, expressed hesitancy about vaccinating their elderly parents (60 years and older) with the pneumococcal vaccine.
Close adult child–parent relations were positively associated with vaccine hesitancy.
Subgroup analysis showed that this association was stronger among
women
rural residents
lower economic development
poor healthcare services
high education levels
participants whose elderly parents had experienced pneumonia
Researchers found that women are more concerned with uncertainty, consequences, the environment, and intimacy, and are more influenced by emotions in decision-making. "Woman are generally more hesitant than men when making decisions about their parental health, and similar findings have been reported in a study of parental vaccinations for children."
Those with high income and parents with difficulties in activities of daily living were more likely to vaccinate their parents.
Research showed that the internet has become the preferred way for people aged 18–50 years to seek health information.
