HMN 2026: How Core values drive Black and Hispanic parents’ decisions on vaccinating their kids against COVID-19

Persistently low rates of COVID-19 vaccination in Black and Hispanic children suggest that parents in these communities tend to be hesitant about the vaccine for their kids, even when they have received it themselves. Through interviews with parents of school-aged children, a new study sheds light on the factors influencing decisions about vaccination. Findings are published in Vaccine: X.

Researchers derived five core values that parents used to appraise the COVID-19 vaccination: safety, knowledge, trust, humanity and autonomy.

“In talking with parents from minoritized communities, we found that when these core values were upheld, parents expressed more confidence in the vaccine, while if the values were threatened, there was greater skepticism and hesitancy,” said senior author Andrea Spencer, MD, Vice Chair for Research at the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

“Consideration of these values could help inform targeted public health campaigns and respectful discussions with parents about vaccination in the doctor’s office.”

Dr. Spencer and colleagues described the core values as:

1. Safety: The importance of avoiding harm, and concern about adverse effects on self and family
2. Knowledge: Baseline knowledge about vaccines and information about the COVID-19 vaccine learned from various sources and family experiences
3. Trust: Cultural and historical context influencing trust of medical research, health systems and health professionals
4. Humanity: The importance of feeling respected and cared for as unique individuals and considering specific circumstances
5. Autonomy: The importance of their own decision about the vaccine, feeling empowered, and empowering children to decide

For the study, researchers interviewed 20 caregivers (62% non-Hispanic Black, 29% Hispanic) of children ages 5–11 years old. Caregivers had all received at least one vaccine dose and 62% of the children had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Our data suggest that the core values we describe are particularly shaped and amplified by experiences of systemic racism among racial and ethnic minoritized families,” said Dr. Spencer. “Historical harms, inequities in health care access, and cultural mistrust influenced their perceptions and decisions about vaccination.

“Vaccination policies implemented according to these values could not only be more equitable and effective but also could build trust in public health systems,” she stressed.

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