Readiness of pregnant women for pertussis vaccination

Abstract

Aim: To assess the level of awareness and the factors associated with pregnant women’s decision-making regarding pertussis vaccination. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire to evaluate awareness, factors influencing willingness to receive vaccination during pregnancy, and the need for additional information to support decision-making. Differences in categorical variables were analyzed using Pearson’s chisquare test. Results: A total of 101 pregnant women participated. Overall, 8,9% had experience of vaccination during pregnancy; among them, 42,1% were vaccinated following a physician’s recommendation. Among women who did not receive a recommendation, only 1,2% were vaccinated. More than half of the women vaccinated both in childhood and adulthood (53.8%) were willing to be vaccinated during pregnancy, compared with 19,1% among those vaccinated only in childhood. More than 60.0% of women who had previously received a physician’s recommendation expressed willingness to be vaccinated, whereas 69,5% of those without such a recommendation were unwilling. All women with prior vaccination during pregnancy (100,0%) were willing to be vaccinated again. Among those without such experience, the proportion of hesitant respondents was high (69,6%). Women who correctly identified the purpose of vaccination were twice as likely to express willingness to be vaccinated. Based on these factors, participants were categorized by a vaccination readiness index: 12,9% demonstrated low readiness, 72,2% moderate readiness, and 14,9% high readiness. Conclusion : Willingness to vaccinate during pregnancy was associated with prior regular vaccination, physician recommendation, previous vaccination during pregnancy, and understanding of the purpose of immunization. A rapid screening tool was developed to evaluate the readiness index and support a differentiated counseling approach for pregnant women regarding pertussis vaccination.