381 - Parental Vaccine Attitude Changes Following a Brief Vaccine Educational Video Intervention in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Publication Number: 2370.381

Ashley Davis, University of New Mexico, ALBUQUERQUE, NM, United States; Deirdre Hill, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Silas Bussmann, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuqueqrue, NM, United States; Walter Dehority, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, United States

Background: COVID-19 and influenza continue to contribute to pediatric morbidity, and they remain two of the three pediatric vaccines with the lowest uptake nationally. Families presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) may have barriers to accessing routine preventive care, leading to missed opportunities for immunization. The PED could serve as a strategic venue for vaccination, though caregiver trust and acceptance of this setting are not well understood.

Objective: Evaluate parental perceptions of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination in the PED and measure change after a brief educational video.

Design/Methods: We conducted a prospective pre-post survey study among English and Spanish speaking only (SSO) parents or guardians of noncritically ill pediatric patients in an academic medical center PED. Participants completed a baseline survey assessing vaccine attitudes, viewed a ~90-second locally developed educational video, and completed the same survey afterward. Primary outcome was within-person attitude change; secondary outcomes included willingness to discuss or receive vaccines in the PED for self or offspring. We utilized Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to evaluate paired changes in vaccine attitudes, and rank-sum tests to assess heterogeneity by language, race, and rurality.

Results: Among 774 paired surveys, most parents showed more favorable attitudes after the video. 11-18% became more willing to discuss or receive COVID-19 or influenza vaccines in the PED, while 7-15% became less willing. Willingness to discuss COVID-19 vaccination with a clinician increased significantly (17.8%; p=0.002), as did willingness for their child to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the PED (16.6%; p< 0.001). Parental willingness to receive a vaccine in the PED also improved for 14-15% of respondents, with fewer than 11% becoming less willing. Post-intervention favorability toward receiving vaccines in the PED ranged from 35-49%. English speaking participants had a more favorable perception of influenza vaccine discussions with healthcare personnel than SSO participants (p=0.04). There were no other differences based on language, race, or rurality.

Conclusion(s): A brief educational video improved parental openness to COVID-19 and influenza vaccination in the PED, indicating potential to reduce missed immunization opportunities across generations. Integrating efficient education and vaccination pathways into emergency care may help increase pediatric vaccine uptake and support prevention of severe respiratory illness.

Table 1: Pre-Post Changes in Parental Vaccine Attitudes After Education Video (N = 774)