The Prevalence of COVID-19 Vaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy in Pregnant Women: An Internet-based Cross-sectional Study in Japan

Journal of Epidemiology

Takahiro Tabuchi¹  Takeo Fujiwara²  Ai Hori³  Toyomi Satoh⁴  Yoshihiko Hosokawa⁴  Hiromi Hamada⁴  Yoko Takahashi⁵  Naho Morisaki⁵  Sumiyo Okawa⁶  Shoji F. Nakayama⁷ 

[1] Cancer Control Center, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan;Department of Global Health Promotion, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan;Department of Global Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan;Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan;Department of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan;Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan;Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan;

关键词: covid-19;    vaccine;    vaccine hesitancy;    pregnancy;   

DOI  :  10.2188/jea.JE20210458

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Reluctance of people to receive recommended vaccines is a growing concern, as distribution of vaccines is considered critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. There is little information regarding pregnant women’s views toward coronavirus vaccination in Japan. Therefore, we investigated the vaccination rate and reasons for vaccination and vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Japan. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 1,791 pregnant women using data from the Japan “COVID-19 and Society” Internet Survey, conducted from July to August 2021, and valid response from 1,621 respondents were analyzed. We defined participants with vaccine hesitancy as those who identified with the statement “I do not want to be vaccinated” or “I want to ‘wait and see’ before getting vaccinated.” Multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to investigate the factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Results: The prevalence of vaccination and vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women was 13.4% (n = 217) and 50.9% (n = 825), respectively. The main reasons for hesitancy were concerns about adverse reactions and negative effects on the fetus and breastfeeding. Vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with the lack of trust in the government (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.54). Other factors, such as age, educational attainment, and state of emergency declaration, were not associated with vaccine hesitancy. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccination is not widespread among pregnant women in Japan, although many vaccines have been shown to be safe in pregnancy. Accurate information dissemination and boosting trust in the government may be important to address vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women.

【 授权许可】

Unknown