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. 2023 Mar 30;23(1):219.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05505-9.

Acceptance of vaccination against pertussis, COVID-19 and influenza during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study

Veja Widdershoven  1   2 , Rianne P Reijs  3   4 , Annika Eskes  5 , Amanja Verhaegh-Haasnoot  6 , Christian J P A Hoebe  3   6   7
Affiliations

Acceptance of vaccination against pertussis, COVID-19 and influenza during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study

Veja Widdershoven et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: This study aims to assess the uptake of maternal pertussis and COVID-19 vaccination and the intention towards accepting the maternal influenza vaccination. Insights into different socio-demographic factors related to maternal vaccination coverage might help to address vaccine acceptance and improve maternal vaccine uptake in the future.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among pregnant women and recent mothers, up to 6 months post-partum. The primary outcome measures of this study were behaviour for maternal pertussis and COVID-19 vaccination, and maternal influenza vaccination intention. Associations between socio-demographic factors and maternal pertussis vaccination and maternal COVID-19 vaccination behaviour; and socio-demographic factors and maternal influenza vaccination intention were assessed using binary logistic regression analyses.

Results: In total 1361 respondents filled out the questionnaire. Almost all women (95%) were vaccinated against pertussis during pregnancy, while almost two-third were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy (58%) and almost one-third (28%) had a positive intention towards receiving the maternal influenza vaccination. Results show that young maternal age and low education level were associated with lower maternal vaccination acceptance.

Conclusion: Vaccination campaigns focusing on the severity of diseases that are prevented, are needed to increase maternal vaccine acceptance in younger and low-educated pregnant women. We expect that differences in vaccination coverage between the three maternal vaccinations might partly be explained by existing recommendations, campaigns and whether the vaccination is part of the national immunisation program.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccines; Influenza vaccines; Pregnancy; Vaccination Coverage; Vaccination refusal; Whooping cough.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentages of women that accepted maternal pertussis and COVID-19 vaccination and had a positive intention towards maternal influenza vaccination among different categories
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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