Acceptance, Promoting Factors, and Barriers of COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant Women: A Multicenter Survey in Thailand

This study aimed to survey the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women and to identify the promoting factors and barriers to vaccination.

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Self-administered questionnaires were given to pregnant women aged 18 and above who attended antenatal care at 6 hospitals in Thailand between August 2021 and March 2022. Four hundred and eighty women were recruited. The acceptance and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination were analyzed.

The mean age of participants was 31.1+5.9 years; 92.5% were Buddhists, 56.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher education, and the median gestational age was 26 weeks. Forty-five percent of them never had COVID-19 vaccination. The vaccination acceptance rate was 72.9%. About 87% of women made a decision by themselves. The reasons for acceptance were social responsibility (94%), doctor and health personnel recommendation (93.4%), and free of charge (92.3%). Barriers were fear of side effects (92.4%) and fetal effects (81.7%). Most of the participants got vaccine information from social media (96.6%), television and radio broadcast (90.4%), and health personnel (88.7%). Factors associated with vaccination acceptance were age, gestational age, and attitudes.

The acceptance rate was high, but barriers included fear of side effects and fetal effects.