Drivers of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among women of childbearing age in Victoria, Australia: A descriptive qualitative study
•Vaccine-hesitant women’s concerns included safety in childbearing and breastfeeding.•Public health communications must be tailored to address women’s specific concerns.•Provide robust short- and long-term safety data to address vaccine hesitancy.•Data linkage infrastructure should track post-vaccin...
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Published in: | Vaccine: X Vol. 12; p. 100240 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Journal Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
01-12-2022
The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd Elsevier |
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Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | •Vaccine-hesitant women’s concerns included safety in childbearing and breastfeeding.•Public health communications must be tailored to address women’s specific concerns.•Provide robust short- and long-term safety data to address vaccine hesitancy.•Data linkage infrastructure should track post-vaccination outcomes.•Vaccine mandates lowered trust in Government and in healthcare providers.
Women of childbearing age, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, report higher COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, but reasons for this hesitancy are unknown. We explored factors influencing vaccine decision-making among women of childbearing age in Victoria, Australia to inform strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
Twenty-four women aged 18–40 years were interviewed July-October 2021. Interview data were analyzed thematically using an inductive, constructivist approach.
Of 24 participants, 14 (57%) were vaccine-hesitant, of whom 10/14 pregnant or breastfeeding. Six key themes were identified: weighing up perceived risks for self and baby; availability of information; change and contradictions; vaccination above everything; practical issues – hurdles of inconvenience. Vaccine-hesitant women’s concerns included safety in pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility effects. Some participants expressed a loss of trust in healthcare providers following vaccine mandates.
Public health campaigns and communication should be tailored to address specific concerns to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake and prevent negative COVID-19 outcomes for women of childbearing age. Findings suggest that effective strategies to address hesitancy in this group may include providing robust short- and long-term safety data across fertility, birth outcomes and child development following COVID-19 vaccination. Other supportive strategies may include systemic changes like making childcare available at vaccination points (where practical), and using data linkage infrastructure to track post-vaccination outcomes. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2590-1362 2590-1362 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100240 |