Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women
Universal COVID-19 immunization is seen as a critical approach for limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing the danger of new variations emerging in the general population, especially in pregnant women. The literature and accessible research data indicate that vaccination intentions vary great...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/2/275 |
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| author | Ioana Mihaela Citu Cosmin Citu Florin Gorun Andrei Motoc Oana Maria Gorun Bogdan Burlea Felix Bratosin Emanuela Tudorache Madalin-Marius Margan Samer Hosin Daniel Malita |
| author_facet | Ioana Mihaela Citu Cosmin Citu Florin Gorun Andrei Motoc Oana Maria Gorun Bogdan Burlea Felix Bratosin Emanuela Tudorache Madalin-Marius Margan Samer Hosin Daniel Malita |
| author_sort | Ioana Mihaela Citu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Universal COVID-19 immunization is seen as a critical approach for limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing the danger of new variations emerging in the general population, especially in pregnant women. The literature and accessible research data indicate that vaccination intentions vary greatly by country, with Romania ranking among the European nations with the lowest vaccination rates. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and extent of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Romania and the factors influencing their decision. A cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women referred to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Timisoara Municipal Emergency Hospital in Romania. Participants were asked to complete the validated VAX scale about vaccine hesitancy and to report their willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and their reasons for hesitancy. The group of 184 pregnant women who completed the survey recorded significantly more hesitant respondents than the non-pregnant group with 161 respondents (52.2% vs. 40.3%). They had significantly higher average scores in all VAX scale subsections, while 78.1% of them gave credits to social media for their COVID-19 vaccination decision, compared with 63.0% of non-pregnant women. The independent risk factors for hesitancy were determined as not being afraid of COVID-19 OR = 1.89, below-average income OR = 2.06, trusting social media rumors OR = 2.38, not believing in SARS-CoV-2 existence OR = 2.67, and being a vaccination non-believer OR = 3.15. We advocate for pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and for the development of targeted campaigns to address the factors of hesitation. This research emphasizes the critical need for delivering the COVID-19 immunization to the whole community, including pregnant women who may have vaccine-related concerns. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:53:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77f6789b3a1c4831aca73af7cece5303 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:53:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-77f6789b3a1c4831aca73af7cece53032023-11-23T22:26:23ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-02-0110227510.3390/vaccines10020275Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant WomenIoana Mihaela Citu0Cosmin Citu1Florin Gorun2Andrei Motoc3Oana Maria Gorun4Bogdan Burlea5Felix Bratosin6Emanuela Tudorache7Madalin-Marius Margan8Samer Hosin9Daniel Malita10Department of Internal Medicine I, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Anatomy and Embryology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Municipal Emergency Clinical Hospital Timisoara, 1-3 Alexandru Odobescu Street, 300202 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Municipal Emergency Clinical Hospital Timisoara, 1-3 Alexandru Odobescu Street, 300202 Timisoara, RomaniaMethodological and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Pulmonology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaFaculty of General Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Orthopedics, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Radiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, RomaniaUniversal COVID-19 immunization is seen as a critical approach for limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing the danger of new variations emerging in the general population, especially in pregnant women. The literature and accessible research data indicate that vaccination intentions vary greatly by country, with Romania ranking among the European nations with the lowest vaccination rates. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and extent of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Romania and the factors influencing their decision. A cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women referred to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Timisoara Municipal Emergency Hospital in Romania. Participants were asked to complete the validated VAX scale about vaccine hesitancy and to report their willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and their reasons for hesitancy. The group of 184 pregnant women who completed the survey recorded significantly more hesitant respondents than the non-pregnant group with 161 respondents (52.2% vs. 40.3%). They had significantly higher average scores in all VAX scale subsections, while 78.1% of them gave credits to social media for their COVID-19 vaccination decision, compared with 63.0% of non-pregnant women. The independent risk factors for hesitancy were determined as not being afraid of COVID-19 OR = 1.89, below-average income OR = 2.06, trusting social media rumors OR = 2.38, not believing in SARS-CoV-2 existence OR = 2.67, and being a vaccination non-believer OR = 3.15. We advocate for pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and for the development of targeted campaigns to address the factors of hesitation. This research emphasizes the critical need for delivering the COVID-19 immunization to the whole community, including pregnant women who may have vaccine-related concerns.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/2/275SARS-CoV-2COVID-19pregnancy vaccinationvaccination hesitancyVAX scale |
| spellingShingle | Ioana Mihaela Citu Cosmin Citu Florin Gorun Andrei Motoc Oana Maria Gorun Bogdan Burlea Felix Bratosin Emanuela Tudorache Madalin-Marius Margan Samer Hosin Daniel Malita Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women Vaccines SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pregnancy vaccination vaccination hesitancy VAX scale |
| title | Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women |
| title_full | Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women |
| title_short | Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Romanian Pregnant Women |
| title_sort | determinants of covid 19 vaccination hesitancy among romanian pregnant women |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pregnancy vaccination vaccination hesitancy VAX scale |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/2/275 |
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