COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort

Abstract Background Vaccine hesitancy amongst pregnant women has been found to be a concern during past epidemics. This study aimed to (1) estimate COVID-19 vaccination rates among pregnant women in Wales and their association with age, ethnicity, and area of deprivation, using electronic health rec...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mohamed Mhereeg, Hope Jones, Jonathan Kennedy, Mike Seaborne, Michael Parker, Natasha Kennedy, Sarah Beeson, Ashley Akbari, Luisa Zuccolo, Alisha Davies, Sinead Brophy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2022-12-01
Series:BMC Infectious Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-022-07856-8
_version_ 1811199552800161792
author Mohamed Mhereeg
Hope Jones
Jonathan Kennedy
Mike Seaborne
Michael Parker
Natasha Kennedy
Sarah Beeson
Ashley Akbari
Luisa Zuccolo
Alisha Davies
Sinead Brophy
author_facet Mohamed Mhereeg
Hope Jones
Jonathan Kennedy
Mike Seaborne
Michael Parker
Natasha Kennedy
Sarah Beeson
Ashley Akbari
Luisa Zuccolo
Alisha Davies
Sinead Brophy
author_sort Mohamed Mhereeg
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Vaccine hesitancy amongst pregnant women has been found to be a concern during past epidemics. This study aimed to (1) estimate COVID-19 vaccination rates among pregnant women in Wales and their association with age, ethnicity, and area of deprivation, using electronic health record (EHR) data linkage, and (2) explore pregnant women’s views on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy using data from a survey recruiting via social media (Facebook, Twitter), through midwives, and posters in hospitals (Born-In-Wales Cohort). Methods This was a mixed-methods study utilising routinely collected linked data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank (Objective 1) and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort participants (Objective 2). Pregnant women were identified from 13th April 2021 to 31st December 2021. Survival analysis was utilised to examine and compare the length of time to vaccination uptake in pregnancy, and variation in uptake by; age, ethnic group, and deprivation area was examined using hazard ratios (HR) from Cox regression. Survey respondents were women who had a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic or were pregnant between 1st November 2021 and 24th March 2022 and participating in Born-In-Wales. Codebook thematic analysis was used to generate themes from an open-ended question on the survey. Results Population-level data linkage (objective 1): Within the population cohort, 8203 (32.7%) received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, 8572 (34.1%) remained unvaccinated throughout the follow-up period, and 8336 (33.2%) received the vaccine postpartum. Younger women (< 30 years) were less likely to have the vaccine, and those living in areas of high deprivation were also less likely to have the vaccine (HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.95). Asian and Other ethnic groups were 1.12 and 1.18 times more likely to have the vaccine in pregnancy compared with White women (HR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.25) and (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.37) respectively. Survey responses (objective 2): 207 (69%) of participants stated that they would be happy to have the vaccine during pregnancy. The remaining 94 (31%) indicated they would not have the vaccine during pregnancy. Reasons for having the vaccine included protecting self and baby, perceived risk level, and receipt of sufficient evidence and advice. Reasons for vaccine refusal included lack of research about long-term outcomes for the baby, anxiety about vaccines, inconsistent advice/information, and preference to wait until after the pregnancy. Conclusion Potentially only 1 in 3 pregnant women would have the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, even though 2 in 3 reported they would have the vaccination, thus it is critical to develop tailored strategies to increase its acceptance rate and decrease vaccine hesitancy. A targeted approach to vaccinations may be required for groups such as younger people and those living in higher deprivation areas.
first_indexed 2024-04-12T01:49:33Z
format Article
id doaj.art-93800691bf18454898c6406824f2e46d
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1471-2334
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-12T01:49:33Z
publishDate 2022-12-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Infectious Diseases
spelling doaj.art-93800691bf18454898c6406824f2e46d2022-12-22T03:52:58ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342022-12-0122111210.1186/s12879-022-07856-8COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth CohortMohamed Mhereeg0Hope Jones1Jonathan Kennedy2Mike Seaborne3Michael Parker4Natasha Kennedy5Sarah Beeson6Ashley Akbari7Luisa Zuccolo8Alisha Davies9Sinead Brophy10National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolPopulation Data Science, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of BristolResearch and Evaluation Division, Public Health WalesNational Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea University Medical SchoolAbstract Background Vaccine hesitancy amongst pregnant women has been found to be a concern during past epidemics. This study aimed to (1) estimate COVID-19 vaccination rates among pregnant women in Wales and their association with age, ethnicity, and area of deprivation, using electronic health record (EHR) data linkage, and (2) explore pregnant women’s views on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy using data from a survey recruiting via social media (Facebook, Twitter), through midwives, and posters in hospitals (Born-In-Wales Cohort). Methods This was a mixed-methods study utilising routinely collected linked data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank (Objective 1) and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort participants (Objective 2). Pregnant women were identified from 13th April 2021 to 31st December 2021. Survival analysis was utilised to examine and compare the length of time to vaccination uptake in pregnancy, and variation in uptake by; age, ethnic group, and deprivation area was examined using hazard ratios (HR) from Cox regression. Survey respondents were women who had a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic or were pregnant between 1st November 2021 and 24th March 2022 and participating in Born-In-Wales. Codebook thematic analysis was used to generate themes from an open-ended question on the survey. Results Population-level data linkage (objective 1): Within the population cohort, 8203 (32.7%) received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, 8572 (34.1%) remained unvaccinated throughout the follow-up period, and 8336 (33.2%) received the vaccine postpartum. Younger women (< 30 years) were less likely to have the vaccine, and those living in areas of high deprivation were also less likely to have the vaccine (HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.95). Asian and Other ethnic groups were 1.12 and 1.18 times more likely to have the vaccine in pregnancy compared with White women (HR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.25) and (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.37) respectively. Survey responses (objective 2): 207 (69%) of participants stated that they would be happy to have the vaccine during pregnancy. The remaining 94 (31%) indicated they would not have the vaccine during pregnancy. Reasons for having the vaccine included protecting self and baby, perceived risk level, and receipt of sufficient evidence and advice. Reasons for vaccine refusal included lack of research about long-term outcomes for the baby, anxiety about vaccines, inconsistent advice/information, and preference to wait until after the pregnancy. Conclusion Potentially only 1 in 3 pregnant women would have the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, even though 2 in 3 reported they would have the vaccination, thus it is critical to develop tailored strategies to increase its acceptance rate and decrease vaccine hesitancy. A targeted approach to vaccinations may be required for groups such as younger people and those living in higher deprivation areas.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-022-07856-8COVID-19 vaccinationPregnancyVaccine uptakeVaccine hesitancySAIL
spellingShingle Mohamed Mhereeg
Hope Jones
Jonathan Kennedy
Mike Seaborne
Michael Parker
Natasha Kennedy
Sarah Beeson
Ashley Akbari
Luisa Zuccolo
Alisha Davies
Sinead Brophy
COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
BMC Infectious Diseases
COVID-19 vaccination
Pregnancy
Vaccine uptake
Vaccine hesitancy
SAIL
title COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
title_full COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
title_fullStr COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
title_full_unstemmed COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
title_short COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
title_sort covid 19 vaccination in pregnancy views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy a mixed methods analysis from sail and the born in wales birth cohort
topic COVID-19 vaccination
Pregnancy
Vaccine uptake
Vaccine hesitancy
SAIL
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-022-07856-8
work_keys_str_mv AT mohamedmhereeg covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT hopejones covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT jonathankennedy covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT mikeseaborne covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT michaelparker covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT natashakennedy covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT sarahbeeson covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT ashleyakbari covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT luisazuccolo covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT alishadavies covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort
AT sineadbrophy covid19vaccinationinpregnancyviewsandvaccinationuptakeratesinpregnancyamixedmethodsanalysisfromsailandtheborninwalesbirthcohort