COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy Among Black Pregnant and Postpartum Women in the USA.

BACKGROUND

Black pregnant and postpartum women in the USA are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic yet have low vaccination coverage rates. Low levels of vaccine literacy contribute vaccine hesitancy and low vaccination rates, especially in racialized populations that face multiple dimensions of systemic racism and inequalities in access to quality health information and services. Guided by the Public Health Critical Race Praxis, we examined COVID-19 vaccine literacy and information sources among Black pregnant and postpartum women.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 22 Black pregnant and postpartum women living in Greater Philadelphia from November 2022 to May 2023. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed using NVivo version 14.

RESULTS

Participants' mean age was 33.5 years; 17 had a college or graduate degree. Six women had Medicaid coverage during pregnancy; eight women received at least one form of public assistance during the pandemic. Four themes were identified: (1) perceptions of vaccine safety and efficacy, (2) vaccination information sources, (3) drivers of mistrust in vaccine information and hesitancy, and (4) participants' recommendation for improving COVID-19 vaccine literacy.

CONCLUSION

Efforts to address inequities in COVID-19 outcomes must include the provision of accurate health information addressing the specific concerns of marginalized populations through trusted sources. Due to the importance of health care providers as trusted sources of COVID-19 and vaccine information, there is a need for such information provision to take an empathetic and person-centered approach that focuses on the specific concerns of Black pregnant and postpartum persons.