Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Pregnant and Breastfeeding/Puerperium Women: A Cross-Sectional Study
Dania Comparcini,
Marco Tomietto,
Francesco Pastore,
Bethany Nichol,
Daniela Miniscalco,
Maria Elena Flacco,
Pasquale Stefanizzi,
Silvio Tafuri,
Giancarlo Cicolini,
Valentina Simonetti
Affiliations
Dania Comparcini
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, “Aldo Moro”, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Marco Tomietto
Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
Francesco Pastore
Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, TorVergata University, 00133 Roma, Italy
Bethany Nichol
Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
Daniela Miniscalco
“A. Costa” Hospital, 40046 Bologna, Italy
Maria Elena Flacco
Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Pasquale Stefanizzi
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, “Aldo Moro”, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Silvio Tafuri
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, “Aldo Moro”, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Giancarlo Cicolini
Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University of Chieti, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Valentina Simonetti
Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University of Chieti, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Vaccination among pregnant and breastfeeding women is critical for protecting this vulnerable population and their children. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended both during pregnancy and breastfeeding; however, we still do not fully understand the determinants that influence hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination. This study aimed to identify the determinants of vaccine hesitancy in pregnant and breastfeeding, puerperium women. A multicenter, cross-sectional study, involving 435 pregnant and breastfeeding women, was conducted. Vaccination hesitancy was evaluated by administering the Vaccination Attitudes (VAX) Scale and the Zung Anxiety Self-Assessment Scale (SAS) was adopted to measure anxiety levels. Overall, 14% of the participants reported that they did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and 78.3% received their first dose during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The descriptive statistics for the VAX scale showed a total mean score of 3.35 (±1.6), and 75% of participants reported an anxiety index equal to or lower than the threshold. Vaccine hesitancy increased as “adverse events after vaccination” increased (p p < 0.05). Investigating the factors influencing vaccine hesitancy enables the development of targeted health policies and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination programs.
