A study published last week, Parental Factors Associated With Measles–Mumps–Rubella Vaccination in US Children Younger Than 5 Years in the American Journal of Public Health reveals that young children of parents who declined the COVID-19 vaccine were about 25 percent less likely to receive vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Historic political and socioeconomic disparities remain important predictors of MMR vaccine hesitancy, but the pandemic appears to have further increased MMR skepticism.

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study from July 2023 to April 2024 using a digital health survey to examine national population characteristics. They analyzed responses from more than 19,000 parents of children younger than 5 years old to examine the association between self-reported parental characteristics (i.e., sociodemographics, politics, COVID-19 vaccination status) and children’s MMR vaccination rates, using logistic regression.

Children of parents who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine had higher MMR vaccination rates (80.8 percent) than did children of unvaccinated parents (60.9 percent). The researchers found higher MMR vaccination rates in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States.

“Our research highlights the link between parental characteristics and MMR vaccine uptake, showing how pandemic-related hesitancy may affect other routine vaccines. Addressing these disparities, through equitable access and fostering trust and transparency in vaccine safety, is key to protecting children from preventable diseases like measles,” said First author Dr. Eric G. Zhou, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.