COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Italian parents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In May 2021, the Italian government extended the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to 12- to 18-year-old subjects and, starting December 2021, vaccines were also offered to children between 5 and 11 years-old. Despite these efforts, suboptimal vaccination coverages are reported. The purpose of this review is to estimate the proportion of parents/caregivers of children and adolescents expressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Italy. The vaccine hesitation rate among parents of minors was 55.1% (95%CI: 43.8–66.1%). A higher value was evidenced in studies focusing on children (59.9%; 95%CI = 43.7–75.1%) compared to the ones focusing on adolescents (51.3%; 95%CI = 34.5–68.0%). The main reasons for unwillingness were the belief that the vaccine was unsafe or ineffective, fear of adverse events, and considering COVID-19 a non-threatening disease. The implementation of effective communication campaigns and health educational programs on safe pediatric vaccinations is essential to support strategies to bolster vaccination confidence.