Social research Surveillance and research Main navigation What we do Surveillance and research COVID-19 PIMS-TS Acute childhood encephalitis Acute flaccid paralysis Febrile seizures Gram-negative blood stream infections Influenza Intussusception Invasive group A streptococcus disease Invasive meningococcal disease Kawasaki disease Pertussis Social research Varicella and herpes zoster Paediatric COVID-19 serosurveillance Attitudes about and access to influenza vaccination in Australia: experiences of parents of children hospitalised for acute respiratory infection Influenza vaccination is the most effective tool to prevent influenza disease. However, uptake in children in Australia is low. A social research project was undertaken to understand why is influenza vaccine coverage low and how can it be increased to prevent children from being hospitalised for influenza? Methods included: a systematic review of the known barriers and facilitators of influenza vaccination of children and pregnant women in Australia between 2004 and 2015 qualitative interviews with parents of children hospitalised in two sites in Australia for influenza in 2017 a cross-sectional survey with parents of children who were hospitalised for acute respiratory infection (+/– laboratory-confirmed influenza) in five sites across Australia in 2019. To understand the complexities of behaviour, the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour model was used across the multiple studies. This work highlighted the importance of receiving an influenza vaccination recommendation from a healthcare provider: the lack of such a recommendation was a strong variable associated with lack of influenza vaccination in children who had been hospitalised for acute respiratory infection. The work also highlighted the importance of increasing influenza vaccination opportunities: motivation to vaccinate is low if influenza vaccination is difficult to remember, organise and access. We were able to understand exactly where and how to practically target efforts to change behaviour by systematically mapping out the barriers to influenza vaccination of children in Australia to increase uptake of influenza vaccine. Surveillance and research Main navigation What we do Surveillance and research COVID-19 PIMS-TS Acute childhood encephalitis Acute flaccid paralysis Febrile seizures Gram-negative blood stream infections Influenza Intussusception Invasive group A streptococcus disease Invasive meningococcal disease Kawasaki disease Pertussis Social research Varicella and herpes zoster Paediatric COVID-19 serosurveillance News & events All news & events 03 November 2022 | News At least two thirds of Australians, including children and adolescents, have had COVID-19, two national antibody studies find 12 October 2022 | News Lower risk of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in Aussie kids with Omicron COVID-19 variant 11 August 2022 | News PAEDS provides important data on COVID-19 in children during the 2021 Delta outbreak 07 June 2022 | News Antibody study confirms very low levels of COVID-19 in Australian children in early 2021