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. 2025 Dec;21(1):2485653.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2485653. Epub 2025 Apr 17.

Knowledge, willingness, and hesitancy toward recommended vaccinations among pregnant and post-partum women: A cross-sectional survey in Italy

Grazia Miraglia Del Giudice  1 , Silvia Angelillo  1 , Vincenza Sansone  1 , Giorgia Della Polla  1 , Italo Francesco Angelillo  1 ; Collaborative Working Group; Collaborative Working Group:
Collaborators, Affiliations

Knowledge, willingness, and hesitancy toward recommended vaccinations among pregnant and post-partum women: A cross-sectional survey in Italy

Grazia Miraglia Del Giudice et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2025 Dec.

Abstract

The objectives of the cross-sectional survey were to examine knowledge, attitudes, and hesitancy among pregnant and post-partum women toward the recommended vaccinations and to identify determinants. The survey was conducted from July to September 2024 in Naples, Italy. Out of a total of 585 participants, 64.1% had been infected with at least one of the MMRV diseases and 47.3% had received MMRV vaccinations. Only 21.4% knew that MMRV vaccinations were recommended in the post-partum, and this was more frequent among healthcare workers (HCWs) or those who had a partner working in the healthcare sector and those with no history of MMRV infections. The overall mean Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) score was 24.1 and 43.6% were high-hesitant (score ≥ 25). Participants who had a higher level of education, with a non-Italian nationality, history of MMRV infections or pregnancy-related health problems, who were aware of the MMRV complications during pregnancy, who had a higher perception of knowledge about recommended vaccinations in the post-partum, who acquired information about recommended vaccinations in the post-partum from HCWs, and those who needed further information had higher odds of low hesitancy regarding the vaccinations recommended in the post-partum as measured by the VHS instrument. More than one-third expressed willingness to receive the MMRV vaccinations in the post-partum. Respondents with higher education, those who acquired information from HCWs, those who needed further information, and those not high vaccine hesitant were more willing to receive the vaccinations. The findings revealed an inadequate level of knowledge and a significant prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and public health efforts, and informative campaigns regarding the utility of the vaccinations in the post-partum are needed.

Keywords: Hesitancy; Italy; MMRV vaccinations; post-partum; survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
VHS score stratified by categorical variables.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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