The Status and Influencing Factors of COVID-19 Vaccination for 3–7-Year-Old Children Born Prematurely [Letter]

Dear editor

I have read a research article entitled “The Status and Influencing Factors of COVID-19 Vaccination for 3–7-Year-Old Children Born Prematurely” by Shi et al.¹ I congratulate the authors on this successful article and make some contributions. There are three strengths of this research: 1) highlighting the unique challenges and considerations in vaccinating against COVID-19 in children born prematurely to groups that may have increased vulnerability to severe outcomes due to this virus. 2) understanding the factors that influence vaccination decisions in this population, healthcare providers and public health officials can better strategize their outreach and education efforts to overcome hesitancy and increase vaccination rates. 3) the emphasis on social media as a source of information underscores the need for accurate, accessible, and persuasive health communication strategies that align with parents’ concerns and motivations.

However, I identified two limitations of this study that need to be addressed in future research: 1) this study used an online self-report questionnaire, although filled out anonymously to ensure more authentic responses, it can still introduce a certain level of information bias. This is because respondents do not remember accurately or may misinterpret questions regarding experiences or opinions. To reduce the impact of this bias, future research using additional data collection methods, such as medical records or in-person interviews, can provide more objective data.^2,3 2) this study does not take into account all factors that influence the results. In the context of COVID-19 vaccination in children born prematurely, it is important to consider other variables such as the child’s health condition, family socioeconomic status, and access to health services. Future research should design surveys or experiments with these factors in mind to provide more comprehensive insights.^4–6