Covid-19 Vaccine Rates in Pregnancy and Factors Affecting the Vaccination Rate: A Cross-Sectional Research

Öz

Background: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, no specific treatment has been found. Immunization with vaccination seems to be the most effective way, but fear and distrust against vaccines are behind many vaccine hesita-tions. This research aimed to elucidate the COVID-19 vaccination rate in pregnant women and the causes of vaccine hesitancy. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 400 pregnant women who applied to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic of Antalya Training & Research Hospital between October and Decem-ber 2021. A questionnaire consisting of 17 questions was prepared and applied, including sociodemographic characte-ristics such as age, body mass index (BMI), working status, smoking, education level, number of children,gravidity, parity, gestational week, history of COVID-19 infection, the status of COVID-19 vaccination, the degree of COVID-19 fear, and doctor's recommendation for vaccination were investigated. The survey was conducted by face-to-face interview. All pregnant women who agreed to participate in the survey were included in the study without any exclu-sion criteria. Healthcare workers and those with chronic diseases were excluded from the study. Results: Regarding the results of the patient survey, 153 patients (38.3%) admitted to no fear of COVID-19 infection, 100 patients (25%) stated mild to moderate fear, and 147 (36.8%) patients had severe fear. The COVID-19 vaccination status of the women could be elaborated as 110 individuals (27.5%) did not prefer to be vaccinated, and 15 individuals (3.8%) did not accept inoculation. Only 67 (16.8%) of the women received vaccinations during pregnancy. 82.3% (n=93) of the non-vaccinated group elaborated on their rejection of vaccination, citing the risk of possible congenital anomalies or long-term fetal adverse events. The responsible physicians recommended the COVID-19 vaccine to 107 patients (26.8%), did not recommend it to 11 patients (2.8%), and did not make any recommendations to 282 patients (70.5%). Conclusions: Addressing the identified reasons for vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women provide guidance for future strategies, offering a focused and informed approach to increase vaccine acceptance, particularly in the vulner-able population of pregnant women

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• pandemic
• pregnancy
• vaccine hesitancy

Destekleyen Kurum

There is no specific funding related to this research.

Etik Beyan

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. Ethics committee approval has been granted from our institution. Informed consent has been obtained from all participants.

Gebelikte Covıd-19 Aşılanma Oranları ve Aşılama Oranını Etkileyen Faktörler: Kesitsel Bir Araştırma

Öz

Amaç: COVID-19 pandemisinin başlangıcından bu yana, spesifik bir tedavi bulunamamıştır. Aşılama yoluyla bağışıklık kazanımı en etkili yöntem gibi görünmektedir, ancak aşıya karşı korku ve güvensizlik birçok aşı tereddüdünün arkasın-da yer almaktadır. Bu araştırma, gebelerde COVID-19 aşılanma oranını ve aşı tereddüdü nedenlerini ortaya koymayı amaçlamıştır. Materyal ve Metod: Bu kesitsel gözlemsel çalışma, Ekim-Aralık 2021 tarihleri arasında Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Kadın Hastalıkları ve Doğum Kliniği’ne başvuran 400 gebe kadın ile gerçekleştirildi. Yaş, vücut kitle indeksi (VKİ), çalışma durumu, sigara kullanımı, eğitim düzeyi, çocuk sayısı, gebelik sayısı, parite, gebelik haftası, COVID-19 enfeksiyon öyküsü, COVID-19 aşısı olma durumu, COVID-19 korku derecesi, doktorun aşı önerisi gibi sosyodemografik özellikleri içeren 17 sorudan oluşan bir anket hazırlanarak uygulandı. Anket yüz yüze görüşme ile yapıldı. Ankete katılmayı kabul eden tüm gebeler herhangi bir dışlama kriteri olmaksızın çalışmaya dahil edildi. Sağlık çalışanları ve kronik hastalığı olanlar çalışmadan hariç tutuldu. Bulgular: Hasta anketinin sonuçlarına göre, 153 hasta (%38,3) COVID-19 enfeksiyonundan korkmadığını, 100 hasta (%25) hafif-orta düzeyde korktuğunu ve 147 hasta (%36,8) şiddetli korku yaşadığını belirtti. Kadınların COVID-19 aşılanma durumu şu şekilde ayrıntılandırılabilir: 110 kişi (%27,5) aşı olmayı tercih etmediğini ve 15 kişi (%3,8) aşıyı kesinlikle kabul etmediğini ifade etti. Sadece 67 kadın (%16,8) gebelik sırasında aşı yaptırdı. Aşılanmamış grubun %82,3’ü (n=93), aşıyı reddetme nedenlerini olası konjenital anomali riskine veya uzun vadeli fetal yan etkilere bağladı. Sorumlu hekimler, 107 hastaya (%26,8) COVID-19 aşısını önerirken, 11 hastaya (%2,8) önermedi ve 282 hastaya (%70,5) herhangi bir öneride bulunmadı. Sonuç: Gebe kadınlar arasında tespit edilen aşı tereddüdü nedenlerini ele almak, gelecekteki stratejilere rehberlik sağlayarak, özellikle gebe popülasyon gibi hassas gruplarda aşı kabulünü artırmaya yönelik odaklanmış ve bilinçli bir yaklaşım sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• pandemi
• gebelik
• aşı tereddüdü

Kaynakça

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