COVID-19 vaccination rate and factors affecting non-vaccination in pregnant women

Abstract

Examining the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rates and associated factors for acceptance of vaccination in pregnant women during the pandemic. The present study has a cross-sectional survey-based design that evaluated 448 pregnant women, and data were collected between October 1 and December 31, 2021. A composite questionnaire with an instrument was utilized in the survey to examine vaccine rates, including sociodemographic data, maternal characteristics, vaccination history, and reasons for not vaccinating. The vaccination rate was 48% (n=216). The main concerns and barriers to non-vaccination were: (i) concerns about pregnancy (82.9%), (ii) possible vaccine side effects (76.3%), and (iii) insufficient trust in the reliability of the vaccine (20.3%). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that following factors affect COVID-19 vaccination rate: first trimester of pregnancy [Odds ratio (OR): 3.40 (95% confidence interval (CI):1.84-6.27), p<0.001], age 35 and over [OR: 2.96 (95% CI:1.40-6.27), p=0.004], active working status [OR: 4.88 (95% CI:2.57-9.23), p<0.001]. Our study indicated that rates of COVID-19 vaccination are still low in pregnant women. Pregnant females constitute a special vulnerable part of the community. Therefore, targeted communication is needed to raise awareness of vaccine safety in healthcare professionals and pregnant women, and strategies to solve vaccine hesitation. In addition, post-vaccination monitoring is required to collect additional data.