Influenza vaccination during pregnancy: Coverage rates and influencing factors in two urban districts in Sydney (original) (raw)

Influenza vaccination uptake amongst pregnant women and maternal care providers is suboptimal

Vaccine, 2012

Objective: To assess the uptake of influenza vaccination by pregnant women and maternity care providers and explore their attitudes towards influenza vaccination. Design, setting and participants: Cross-sectional survey administered in a Victorian tertiary level public hospital to 337 pregnant women and 96 maternity care providers. Results: 31.3% of patients planned to or had received influenza vaccination this year, but only a quarter had received education about influenza. Women were more likely to receive influenza vaccination if they had been vaccinated in the last two years (RR 4.5, 95% CI: 3.1-6.4, p < 0.001), received education about influenza (RR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.6-3.2, p < 0.001) or believed that they were at high risk of influenza-related complications while pregnant (RR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.4-2.7, p < 0.001). While only 56.8% of maternity care providers believed pregnant women were at high risk of influenza-related complications, 72.9% would recommend influenza vaccination to all pregnant women. Of the maternity care providers studied, 69% planned to or had been vaccinated in 2011, with this group more likely to recommend vaccination to their patients (RR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.0, p < 0.001). Significantly more maternity care providers indicated that they would routinely recommend influenza vaccination than the proportion of patients who reported receiving education. Conclusions: Influenza vaccination rates in pregnant women are low, reflecting inadequate patient education despite most maternity care providers indicating that they would routinely recommend influenza vaccination. Increasing influenza vaccination uptake by women in pregnancy will require better education of both women and maternity care providers.

Coverage and determinants of influenza vaccine among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health, 2019

Background: Pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications. The World Health Organisation recommends influenza vaccination to this high-risk population as highest priority. However, achieving high influenza vaccine coverage among pregnant women remains challenging. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to estimate the coverage and determinants of influenza vaccination among pregnant women in Singapore. Methods: Between September and November 2017, pregnant women aged ≥21 years were recruited at two public hospitals in Singapore. Participants completed an anonymous, self-administered online questionnaire assessing participants' influenza vaccination uptake, knowledge of and attitudes towards influenza and the influenza vaccine, vaccination history, willingness to pay for the influenza vaccine, and external cues to vaccination. We estimated vaccine coverage and used multivariable Poisson models to identify factors associated with vaccine uptake. Results: Response rate was 61% (500/814). Only 49 women (9.8, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 7.3-12.7%) reported receiving the vaccine during their current pregnancy. A few misconceptions were identified among participants, such as the belief that influenza can be treated with antibiotics. The most frequent reason for not being vaccinated was lack of recommendation. Women who were personally advised to get vaccinated against influenza during pregnancy were 7 times more likely to be vaccinated (prevalence ratio (PR) = 7.11; 95% CI: 3.92-12.90). However, only 12% of women were personally advised to get vaccinated. Other factors associated with vaccine uptake were vaccination during a previous pregnancy (PR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.54-4.11), having insurance to cover the cost of the vaccine (PR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.43-3.76), and higher vaccine confidence (PR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.30-2.01). Conclusions: Influenza vaccination uptake among pregnant women in Singapore is low. There is considerable scope for improving vaccination coverage in this high-risk population through vaccination recommendations from healthcare professionals, and public communication targeting common misconceptions about influenza and influenza vaccines.

Influenza vaccination during pregnancy: a qualitative study of the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of general practitioners in Central and South-Western Sydney

BMC Family Practice, 2014

Pregnant women have an increased risk of influenza complications. Influenza vaccination during pregnancy is safe and effective, however coverage in Australia is less than 40%. Pregnant women who receive a recommendation for influenza vaccination from a health care provider are more likely to receive it, however the perspectives of Australian general practitioners has not previously been reported. The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of general practitioners practicing in South-Western Sydney, Australia towards influenza vaccination during pregnancy. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted, with semi-structured interviews completed with seventeen general practitioners in October 2012. A thematic analysis was undertaken by four researchers, and transcripts were analysed using N-Vivo software according to agreed codes. One-third of the general practitioners interviewed did not consider influenza during pregnancy to be a serious risk for the mother or the baby. The majority of the general practitioners were aware of the government recommendations for influenza vaccination during pregnancy, but few general practitioners were confident of their knowledge about the vaccine and most felt they needed more information. More than half the general practitioners had significant concerns about the safety of influenza vaccination during pregnancy. Their practices in the provision of the vaccine were related to their perception of risk of influenza during pregnancy and their confidence about the safety of the vaccine. While two-thirds reported that they are recommending influenza vaccination to their pregnant patients, many were adopting principles of patient-informed choice in their approach and encouraged women to decide for themselves whether they would receive the vaccine. General practitioners have varied knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about influenza vaccination during pregnancy, which influence their practices. Addressing these could have a significant impact on improving vaccine uptake during pregnancy.

The faces of influenza vaccine recommendation: A Literature review of the determinants and barriers to health providers’ recommendation of influenza vaccine in pregnancy

Vaccine, 2020

Introduction: WHO recommends influenza vaccination for pregnant women and health providers (HPs), yet global uptake for both is persistently low. Research suggests that HPs greatly influence uptake of influenza vaccine in pregnant women. Our review studies HPs' recommendation of influenza vaccine to pregnant women, determinants and barriers to recommendation, and the role that HPs may play in global influenza vaccine coverage. Methods: We undertook a comprehensive global review of literature relating to HPs' recommendation of seasonal influenza vaccines to pregnant women and the determinants and barriers to recommendation and how this may vary by country and context. We evaluated data from each study including frequency of HP recommendation, vaccine coverage, determinants and barriers to recommendation, and the odds of recommending. We tracked the frequency of determinants and barriers to recommendation in heat maps and organized data by world regions and income classifications. Results: From 32 studies in 15 countries, we identified 68 determinants or barriers to HPs' recommendation. Recommendation rates were highest (77%) in the Americas and lowest in South East Asia (18%). A HP's own influenza vaccine status was a main determinant of recommendation in multiple country contexts and from different provider types. Financial barriers to recommendation were present in higherincome countries and policy-related barriers were highlighted in lower-income countries. HP perceptions of safety, efficacy, and the utility of vaccine were the most frequently cited barriers, relevant in almost every context. Conclusions: HP recommendation is important to influenza vaccine implementation in pregnant women. A HP's own status is an important recommendation determinant in multiple contexts. Vaccine program implementation plans should consider the impact of HPs' knowledge, awareness and vaccine confidence on their own uptake and recommendation practices, as well as on the uptake among pregnant women. Addressing safety and efficacy concerns is relevant in all contexts for HPs and pregnant women.

Influenza Vaccine Coverage among Pregnant Women in a Public Hospital System during the 2009-2010 Pandemic Influenza Season

Influenza Research and Treatment, 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare influenza vaccination rates of pregnant women in a public safety-net health system to national coverage rates during the 2009-2010 pandemic influenza season. A chart review of a random sample of deliveries was undertaken to determine rates of coverage and predictors of vaccine coverage of women who obtained prenatal care and delivered in our health system. Rates were calculated from deliveries from when the vaccine was first available through April 30, 2010. Coverage rates were 54% for the seasonal influenza vaccine and 51% for the H1N1 vaccine. Race/ethnicity, insurance status and language spoken did not predict the receipt of either vaccine. When we included only births which occurred through March 12, 2010, as was done in a large population-based study, the rates were 61% and 59%, respectively. Our rates are about 10% higher than the rates reported in that study. Our comprehensive strategy for promoting vaccine coverage achieved higher vac...

Increasing uptake of influenza vaccine by pregnant women post H1N1 pandemic: a longitudinal study in Melbourne, Australia, 2010 to 2014

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2015

Background: A Melbourne (Australia) university affiliated, tertiary obstetric hospital provides lay and professional education about influenza vaccine in pregnancy annually each March, early in the local influenza season. Responding to a 2011 survey of new mothers' opinions, the hospital made influenza vaccine freely available in antenatal clinics from 2012. We wished to determine influenza vaccination uptake during pregnancy with these strategies 5 years after 2009 H1N1. Methods: Face to face interviews based on US Center for Disease Control and Prevention Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System with new mothers in postnatal wards each July, 2010 to 2014. We calculated recalled influenza vaccine uptake each year and assessed trends with chi square tests, and logistic regression.

Influenza Vaccination among Pregnant Women: Patient Beliefs and Medical Provider Practices

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2016

ACOG’s research department recruited four medical centers to participate in a study on the attitudes and practices of medical providers and pregnant patients regarding influenza vaccination. Medical providers and patients were given voluntary surveys and medical record data was collected over two flu seasons, from 2013 to 2015. Discrepancies between self-reports of medical providers and patients and medical records were observed. Nearly 80% of patients self-reported accepting the influenza vaccine, but medical record data only reported 36% of patients accepting the vaccine. Similarly, all medical providers reported giving recommendations for the vaccine, but only 85% of patients reported receiving a recommendation. Age, education, a medical provider’s recommendation, and educational materials were found to positively influence patient beliefs about the influenza vaccine. Accepting the vaccine was influenced by a patient’s previous actions, beliefs, and a medical provider’s recommend...

Factors Associated with Antenatal Influenza Vaccination in a Medically Underserved Population

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Influenza infection in pregnant women is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Despite recommendations for all women to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine during pregnancy, vaccination rates among pregnant women in the U.S. have remained around 50%. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical and demographic factors associated with antenatal influenza vaccination in a medically underserved population of women. We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Grady Memorial Hospital, a large safety-net hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018. Demographic and clinical characteristics were abstracted from the electronic medical record. The Kotelchuck index was used to assess prenatal care adequacy. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals for associations between receipt of influenza vaccine and prenatal care adequacy, demographic characteristics, and clinical characteristics were calculated using multivariable log-binominal mo...