Khan Shane, Sohan Karen, Mohammed Zada C M, Bachan Vishal
Department of Clinical Surgical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Diagnostic Mother and Baby (Private Sector), Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago.
Int J Womens Health. 2023 Feb 28;15:343-354. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S396884. eCollection 2023.
Pregnant women are at greater risk for severe COVID-19 disease and are a priority group for vaccination. Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) introduced COVID-19 vaccination for pregnancy in August 2021, however uptake is presumed to be low. The objective was to determine the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake rates among pregnant women in TTO and reasons for vaccine hesitancy.
This was a cross-sectional study on 448 pregnant women conducted at specialized antenatal clinics within the largest Regional Health Authority in TTO, and at one private institution from February 1 to May 6, 2022. Participants completed an adapted WHO questionnaire on reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Logistic regression was used to assess factors affecting vaccination decisions.
The vaccine acceptance and uptake rates in pregnancy were 26.4% and 23.6%, respectively. The main reason for vaccine hesitancy was lack of research on the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy (70.2%), where 75.5% of women believed the vaccine would harm their babies and 71.2% believed there was not enough data. Women seeking care in the private sector (OR: 5.24, 95% CI: 1.41-19.43) and who had comorbidities (OR: 3.72, 95% CI: 11.57-8.83) were more likely to take the vaccine, while Venezuelan non-nationals (OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01-0.71) were less likely to take the vaccine. Older women (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.12-2.89), women with tertiary education (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.25-3.19), and women seeking care in the private sector (OR: 9.45, 95% CI: 4.36-20.48) were more likely to accept the vaccine.
Lack of confidence in the vaccine was the main reason for hesitancy, which may reflect paucity of research, lack of knowledge or misinformation of the vaccine in pregnancy. This highlights the need for more targeted public education campaigns and promotion of the vaccine by health institutions. The knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of pregnant women obtained from this study can guide the development of vaccination programs in pregnancy.
孕妇感染重症 COVID-19 的风险更高，是疫苗接种的优先群体。特立尼达和多巴哥（TTO）于2021年8月开始为孕妇提供 COVID-19 疫苗接种服务，但据推测接种率较低。目的是确定 TTO 孕妇对 COVID-19 疫苗的接受率和接种率以及疫苗犹豫的原因。
这是一项对448名孕妇进行的横断面研究，于2022年2月1日至5月6日在 TTO 最大的地区卫生管理局内的专门产前诊所和一家私立机构进行。参与者完成了一份经过改编的世界卫生组织关于 COVID-19 疫苗犹豫原因的问卷。采用逻辑回归评估影响疫苗接种决策的因素。
孕期疫苗接受率和接种率分别为26.4%和23.6%。疫苗犹豫的主要原因是缺乏关于孕期 COVID-19 疫苗的研究（70.2%），其中75.5%的女性认为疫苗会伤害她们的宝宝，71.2%的女性认为没有足够的数据。在私立部门寻求护理的女性（比值比：5.24，95%置信区间：1.41-19.43）和患有合并症的女性（比值比：3.72，95%置信区间：11.57-8.83）更有可能接种疫苗，而委内瑞拉非本国公民（比值比：0.09，95%置信区间：0.01-0.71）接种疫苗的可能性较小。年龄较大的女性（比值比：1.80，95%置信区间：1.12-2.89）、受过高等教育的女性（比值比：1.99，95%置信区间：1.25-3.19）以及在私立部门寻求护理的女性（比值比：9.45，95%置信区间：4.36-20.48）更有可能接受疫苗。
对疫苗缺乏信心是犹豫的主要原因，这可能反映出研究不足、对孕期疫苗缺乏了解或存在错误信息。这凸显了开展更有针对性的公众教育活动以及医疗机构推广疫苗的必要性。本研究获得的孕妇的知识、态度和信念可为孕期疫苗接种计划的制定提供指导。
