Vaccine Hesitancy in Adolescents: Understanding the Impact on COVID-19 Vaccination Decision-Making

Strategic Insights -

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California explored the role of adolescents in vaccine decision-making, particularly in the context of COVID-19 vaccination. The study, which involved a nationally representative survey of 721 adolescent-parent dyads, found that adolescents' vaccine hesitancy was a significant predictor of vaccination refusal. The study's findings suggest that addressing vaccine hesitancy in adolescents, in addition to their parents, is crucial for promoting COVID-19 vaccination.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found a significant association between adolescent vaccine hesitancy and vaccination refusal, with each unit increase in adolescent vaccine hesitancy linked to a 14% lower odds of adolescent vaccination.
  • The study identified a couple-oriented pattern in COVID-19 vaccine decision-making, with both "actor effects" (adolescent vaccine hesitancy) and "partner effects" (parent vaccine hesitancy) significantly influencing adolescent vaccination.
  • The research concluded that vaccine promotion efforts should address vaccine hesitancy in adolescents in addition to their parents.
  • The study was financially supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
  • The research involved a nationally representative survey of 721 adolescent-parent dyads, with parents and adolescents completing separate online surveys measuring their vaccine hesitancy and intent to receive future doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The study used structural equation modeling to estimate the association between vaccine hesitancy and adolescent vaccination among actors and partners using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs.

Statistics:

  • 721 adolescent-parent dyads participated in the nationally representative survey.
  • Each unit increase in adolescent vaccine hesitancy was associated with a 14% lower odds of adolescent vaccination, with an odds ratio of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.82-0.91).
  • For each unit increase in vaccine hesitancy among parents, the odds of adolescent vaccination decreased by 6%, with an odds ratio of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.91-0.98).

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Findings from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in the Area of COVID-19 Reported (Application of the Actor-partner Interdependence Model To Understand Covid-19 Vaccine Decision-making Among Us Adolescents and Their Parents). Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA. September 28, 2025; p 237.
  • Application of the Actor-partner Interdependence Model To Understand Covid-19 Vaccine Decision-making Among Us Adolescents and Their Parents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2025.