University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.
Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
S D Med. 2023 May;76(5):208-219.
Pregnant patients with COVID-19 experience higher rates of maternal mortality, pregnancy loss, and other severe comorbidities. Despite these well-characterized risks, this group displayed a high level of vaccine hesitancy that contributed to their slow acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccinations and greater maternal mortality during the pandemic. The rural Midwest was no exception to this unfortunate trend, so here we sought to determine attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions in these women and their partners associated with vaccine hesitancy to better address uncertainties and improve vaccination rates.
We used a cross-sectional survey of rural Midwestern infertility patients. Study population included both women and men, ranging from 21 to 53 years old. We evaluated vaccination status, hesitancy or refusal for COVID-19 vaccination, sociodemographic factors, sources and types of medical information, employer vaccination requirements, and specific attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions towards vaccines using questions guided by the Health Belief Model.
We surveyed 390 Midwestern patients with pre-existing clinic appointments who were being evaluated for infertility and/or trying to conceive. Vaccine-hesitant patients held significant concerns of rushed vaccine development, safety, and benefits not outweighing potential risks. Patients were significantly more likely to obtain the vaccine if it was recommended by their physician. They were also more likely to receive the vaccine if they were given written resources or if required by their employer.
Survey results identified specific concerns and strategies that may be used to address vaccine hesitancy in this at-risk population. Addressing vaccine hesitancy may improve vaccination rates and in turn reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, particularly in rural populations.
感染 COVID-19 的孕妇有更高的孕产妇死亡率、流产率和其他严重合并症的风险。尽管这些风险已经得到充分的描述，但这一人群对疫苗的犹豫程度很高，这导致他们对接种 COVID-19 疫苗的接受程度较慢，在大流行期间孕产妇死亡率更高。农村中西部地区也不例外，因此我们在这里试图确定与疫苗犹豫相关的这些妇女及其伴侣的态度、信念和看法，以便更好地解决不确定性问题并提高疫苗接种率。
我们使用了一项对中西部农村地区不孕不育患者的横断面调查。研究人群包括年龄在 21 至 53 岁之间的女性和男性。我们评估了疫苗接种状况、对 COVID-19 疫苗接种的犹豫或拒绝、社会人口因素、医疗信息的来源和类型、雇主疫苗接种要求，以及使用健康信念模型指导的问题评估对疫苗的特定态度、信念和看法。
我们调查了 390 名有预先存在的诊所预约的中西部患者，他们正在接受不孕不育症的评估和/或正在尝试怀孕。疫苗犹豫的患者对疫苗仓促开发、安全性以及收益是否超过潜在风险表示严重关注。如果医生推荐疫苗，患者更有可能接种疫苗。如果给他们提供书面资源或如果雇主要求，他们也更有可能接种疫苗。
调查结果确定了可能用于解决这一高危人群疫苗犹豫的具体关注点和策略。解决疫苗犹豫问题可能会提高疫苗接种率，从而降低孕产妇死亡率和发病率，特别是在农村地区。
