Title
Perceptions and attitudes towards vaccination during pregnancy in a peri urban area of Lima, Peru
Date Issued
30 July 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Carcelen A.C.
Vilajeliu A.
Malik F.
Omer S.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
Background: Maternal immunization has the potential to reduce both maternal and infant morbidity and mortality by protecting women from complications during pregnancy as well as conferring protection for babies who are too young to be vaccinated. Limited evidence is available about the drivers of maternal immunization in middle-income countries such as Peru. Vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria and influenza are recommended beginning in the second trimester in Peru; however, vaccination coverage has remained low in Peru compared to other countries in the region. As additional vaccines are recommended for administration in pregnancy, a better understanding of the perceptions and attitudes of pregnant women that influence vaccination are needed to design communication materials. Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study to understand the individual level factors influencing pregnant women's vaccine uptake. We interviewed pregnant women about their knowledge, perceptions and experiences with vaccination during pregnancy. Community health workers recruited women in a peri urban area of Peru in April 2018. Results: Twelve women were interviewed, the majority of which had received vaccination during the current pregnancy. The most common reasons for vaccination were to protect the baby and because vaccines are effective. Concerns included vaccine safety during pregnancy and adverse effects on the unborn baby. Some women mentioned that because vaccines are given later in pregnancy, the unborn baby is stronger, so vaccines will not harm them. Women highlighted that the main reason for not being vaccinated was lack of information. They also noted that they were the decision-maker in whether or not they were vaccinated. Most women said that they trusted healthcare providers and that trust was linked to providing information through open communication. Conclusions: Overall, participants were supportive of maternal vaccination. They believed that vaccines were effective in protecting both their unborn baby and themselves. The main reason given for non-vaccination was lack of knowledge about vaccination in pregnancy. The strong desire expressed by study participants to get more information presents an opportunity for immunization programs to develop interventions that facilitate better information dissemination to pregnant women to increase vaccination uptake.
Start page
B27
End page
B33
Volume
39
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Salud pública, Salud ambiental
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85099036334
PubMed ID
Source
Vaccine
ISSN of the container
0264-410X
Sponsor(s)
We would like to thank Lilia Cabrera and the community health workers from the Asociacion Benefica PRISMA in Peru for coordinating participant recruitment. At Johns Hopkins University, we thank Daniel Salmon for his support in securing funding for this study and Rupali Limaye for her guidance in protocol development. At the Pan American Health Organization, we would like to thank Alba Maria Ropero Alvarez for her guidance in reviewing the results of the study. Publication of this supplement was supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of PAHO. Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease of the National Institutes of Health, United States under award number: R01 AI110482-03S1, 2017.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus