TY - JOUR
AU - Amiebenomo, Onyekachukwu Mary-Anne
AU - Osuagwu, Uchechukwu L.
AU - Envuladu, Esther Awazzi
AU - Miner, Chundung Asabe
AU - Mashige, Khathutshelo P.
AU - Ovenseri-Ogbomo, Godwin O.
AU - Abu, Emmanuel Kwasi
AU - Timothy, Chikasirimobi Goodhope
AU - Ekpenyong, Bernadine N.
AU - Langsi, Raymond
AU - Oloruntoba, Richard
AU - Goson, Piwuna Christopher
AU - Charwe, Deborah Donald
AU - Ishaya, Tanko
AU - Agho, Kingsley Emwinyore
PY - 2023
DA - February
TI - Acceptance and Risk Perception of COVID-19 Vaccination among Pregnant and Non Pregnant Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross-Sectional Matched-Sample Study
JO - Vaccines
VL - 11
IS - 2
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020484
AB - This study aims to evaluate the acceptance and risk perception of pregnant and non pregnant women towards COVID-19 vaccines using a cross-sectional matched-sample study approach. A web-based questionnaire with closed- and open-ended questions was administered to adults older than 18 years in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) region. Respondents ( n = 131) were grouped based on their pregnancy status (54 pregnant and 77 non pregnant women) and matched for comparison by age. The matched groups were compared using the chi-square test and the t-test where appropriate. Compared to non pregnant women, pregnant women reported significantly lower risk perception scores of COVID-19 infection (3.74 vs. 5.78, p &lt; 0.001) and were less likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine (odds ratio = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06-0.27, p &lt; 0.001). A similar proportion of pregnant and non pregnant women believed in false information about the COVID-19 vaccine, and 40% of unvaccinated pregnant women ( n = 40) were concerned about the safety of the vaccine. After adjustment, women's education, marital status, belief in misconceptions and risk perception were associated with non-vaccination among pregnant women. The content analysis revealed that pregnant women refused the vaccine due to mistrust of their countries' health systems, concerns about the country where the vaccines were manufactured and a lack of confidence in the production process of the vaccines. This study shows the poor acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant women in SSA, who perceived a lower risk of COVID-19 infection. Understanding the reasons for non-acceptance and the motivation to accept the COVID-19 vaccine could guide the development of health education and promotion programmes, and aid governments and policymakers in implementing targeted policy changes.
PB - MDPI
UR - https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/7defb37c-2973-47eb-9f7e-8720eaf01591
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Maternity and early years
ER