Knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women about COVID-19 vaccination

Abstract

Objective: to assess the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women towards COVID-19 vaccination and the factors that affect them. Method: this is a cross-sectional and analytical study with 407 pregnant women. The COVID-19 Vaccine Knowledge and Attitude Scale was used to assess the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women towards COVID-19 vaccination. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: it was found that 63.88% of the sample had a negative opinion about being vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy. Seventy-five percent of the pregnant women believed that the vaccine would harm their fetus. The mean subscale scores of the severity (p = 0.001) and benefit (p = 0.001) of the vaccine were significantly higher in pregnant women with a higher level of education and in the first trimester (p = 0.001). It was found that pregnant women who stated that they had sufficient information about COVID-19 had significantly higher severity (p = 0.001) and benefit (p = 0.031) subscale mean scores and had a more positive attitude against COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. Conclusion: most pregnant women had negative attitudes due to concerns that the COVID-19 vaccine would harm the fetus. Healthcare professionals should provide education about the importance of vaccination during pregnancy for maternal and infant health during pregnancy follow-up.