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Objective: This systematic review aimed to assess childhood vaccine hesitancy among parents in Saudi Arabia and explore the perceptions of pediatric healthcare professionals regarding vaccine-hesitant parents (VHPs). Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science for studies published between January 2015 and December 2024. Studies were selected using the PEO framework. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers and quality was assessed using the AXIS tool. Results: From 823 initial records, 26 studies were included in the final analysis. Vaccine hesitancy rates varied from 7.1% to 72.2%. Factors influencing hesitancy included parental education, fear of side effects, lack of reliable information, social media misinformation and limited trust in healthcare providers. Conclusion: Demographic, social and healthcare-related factors contribute significantly to vaccine hesitancy among Saudi parents. Targeted public health interventions, improved health literacy and effective physician-parent communication are essential to address this growing concern.
Alotaibi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.