Maternal Vaccination and Neonatal Feeding Strategies Among Polish Women

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Maternal vaccination and breastfeeding are important aspects of public health that should be recommended by medical staff caring for pregnant and postpartum women. We aimed to analyze factors affecting women's likelihood of dual vaccination during pregnancy and their infant feeding strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 953 Polish mothers. An online questionnaire was used and included questions on sociodemographic and obstetric variables, women's attitudes towards COVID-19 and influenza vaccination, and breastfeeding practices. Results: COVID-19 vaccination was reported by 66.0%, influenza vaccination by 18.2%, and dual vaccination by 15.6% of Polish mothers. Increasing willingness to receive vaccines was significantly associated with older maternal age, lower BMI, living in urban areas with >100,000 residents, and high levels of knowledge regarding vaccination. No significant association between dual vaccination and neonatal feeding strategy was detected. The group of exclusively breastfeeding mothers, in comparison to formula- and mixed-feeding women, was characterized by having lower pre-pregnancy BMI and previous maternal experience. Conclusions: Rates of vaccination against seasonal influenza and dual (influenza and COVID-19) vaccination remain low among Polish mothers. The promotion of antenatal vaccination and reliable information about short- and long-term advantages related to breastfeeding are crucial to perinatal health care for the mother-infant dyad. Young, primiparous women who are overweight or obese should be targets of preventive programs focused on the health of the mother-infant dyad.

Keywords: breastfeeding; feeding strategy; infant’s protection; influenza and SARS-CoV-2 virus; maternal vaccination.

Figure 1

Flow chart for respondents’ inclusion in the study.