Study Reveals Barriers to Flu Vaccine for Pregnant Women
- By BSTQ Staff
A recent study conducted to evaluate barriers to pregnant women’s uptake of the influenza vaccine found that the decline in vaccination among this population was due to lower levels of knowledge and unfavorable attitudes regarding the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. In the study, 88 women completed a survey designed to assess participant demographics, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and general experiences with seasonal and 2009 novel H1N1 influenza. The researchers then assessed patient characteristics and vaccine uptake. Women who correctly answered more than 75 percent of knowledge questions regarding influenza were significantly more likely to accept the influenza vaccine. Conversely, patients who declined the vaccine were more likely to hold false beliefs such as perceiving that the vaccine was not protective and that they were not at risk for influenza. The study was published in the June 12 edition of Vaccine.
