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. 2022 Dec;31(6):1341-1348.
doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1608. Epub 2022 Jun 28.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among pregnant people contacting a teratogen information service

Kirstie Perrotta  1   2 , Angela Messer  1   2 , Sonia Alvarado  1   2 , Mara Gaudette  1   2 , Cindy Tran  2 , Gretchen Bandoli  2
Affiliations

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among pregnant people contacting a teratogen information service

Kirstie Perrotta et al. J Genet Couns. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Pregnant people are at increased risk of severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection and are more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, be put on a mechanical ventilator, and die, if infected. Having COVID-19 during pregnancy also increases the risk of preterm delivery. Vaccination is a critical tool for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic; however, to date, just over 30% of pregnant people in the United States have been vaccinated. It is important to identify any barriers to acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among the pregnant population so that specific hesitancy concerns can be addressed. Our objective was to identify the proportion of pregnant people who are unsure or not planning to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and collect information about their reasons for hesitancy. A questionnaire examining views on COVID-19 vaccine interest was administered to 299 pregnant people who contacted MotherToBaby 3/1/21-7/23/21. Questions obtained information about the perception of COVID-19 risk in pregnancy, interest in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant, and reasons for acceptance or hesitancy. Within the sample, 21% had already been vaccinated against COVID-19, 43% were planning to get vaccinated, 9% were not planning to receive the vaccine, and 27% were undecided. Women who were not planning to get vaccinated and those that were undecided both said their concern was 'not enough safety information for pregnancy'. Individuals aged 18-25, those who made less than $50,000/year, and those who lived in the Northeast were more likely to be hesitant. Based on these data, continued efforts to collect and communicate high-quality and understandable information to pregnant people about vaccine safety should be a key priority in efforts to increase vaccine acceptance among this group.

Keywords: COVID-19; attitudes; communication; health behavior; pregnancy; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors Perrotta, Messer, Alvarado, Gaudette, Tran, and Bandoli declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Answers to survey question 5: ‘If you are offered the COVID‐19 vaccine during pregnancy, would you be interested in getting the shot?’ (n = 299)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Answers to survey question 6: ‘Why do/did you want to get vaccinated during pregnancy?’ (n = 190)
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Answers to survey question 7: ‘Why do you NOT want to get vaccinated during pregnancy?’ among those that said ‘No’ (n = 27) and ‘Don’t Know’ (n = 82) to vaccination
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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