Understanding Manitoba Childrearing Families' Decisions to Vaccinate Against COVID-19 and Influenza

Vaccinations are effective at protecting people from serious illness, hospitalization, and death, and they are recognized as the safest and most valuable public health measure against infectious disease. Despite recent warnings from public health officials regarding potential harmful impacts due to the convergence of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), particularly for the very young, parents' support for vaccinating their children varies. Influenza vaccination coverage for Canadian children and adults remains low, and while over 80% of children aged 12-17 years and adults have been vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, it is of concern that parents' and youth's willingness to get vaccinated is not universal, given the ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 variants. Considering parental perceptions of vaccines directly influences the vaccination status of their child(ren), we need to approach the study of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination rates and decisions within the context of the family unit. The goal of this 5-year mixed-methods study is to determine family unit vaccination rates, and to understand the perspectives and experiences of Manitoba (MB) childrearing families' decisions to vaccinate their family members against COVID-19 and influenza, with the intent to provide recommendations for public health. Individual data (e.g., family and focus group interviews, arts-based methods) and population data will be collected from MB childrearing families. This is a first-of-its-kind project focusing on vaccine uptake using family unit vaccination rates, experiences and perspectives, which will help inform childrearing families' decisions to vaccinate against COVID-19 and influenza. Recommendations and solutions to inform family decisions (adults, children, family unit), reduce vaccine hesitancy and healthcare service use, and promote vaccine uptake will emerge.