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Publications

Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. Epublish 10 citations

PubMed: 38587844 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5479

Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccines Among Pregnant and Recently Pregnant Individuals.

JAMA Netw Open 7(4):e245479

Authors: Joshua T B Williams, Kate Kurlandsky, Kristin Breslin, M Joshua Durfee, Amy Stein, Laura Hurley, Jo Ann Shoup, Liza M Reifler, Matthew F Daley, Bruno J Lewin, Kristin Goddard, Michelle L Henninger, Jennifer C Nelson, Gabriela Vazquez-Benitez, Kayla E Hanson, Candace C Fuller, Eric S Weintraub, Michael M McNeil, Simon J Hambidge

Affiliations

  • Ambulatory Care Services, Denver Health and Hospitals, Denver, Colorado.
  • Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora.
  • Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora.
  • Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena.
  • Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, California.
  • Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon.
  • Health Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Seattle.
  • HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin.
  • Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
  • Immunization Safety Office, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

Abstract

Importance

Pregnant people and infants are at high risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. Understanding changes in attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant and recently pregnant people is important for public health messaging.

Objective

To assess attitudinal trends regarding COVID-19 vaccines by (1) vaccination status and (2) race, ethnicity, and language among samples of pregnant and recently pregnant Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) members from 2021 to 2023.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional surveye study included pregnant or recently pregnant members of the VSD, a collaboration of 13 health care systems and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unvaccinated, non-Hispanic Black, and Spanish-speaking members were oversampled. Wave 1 took place from October 2021 to February 2022, and wave 2 took place from November 2022 to February 2023. Data were analyzed from May 2022 to September 2023.

Exposures

Self-reported or electronic health record (EHR)-derived race, ethnicity, and preferred language.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Self-reported vaccination status and attitudes toward monovalent (wave 1) or bivalent Omicron booster (wave 2) COVID-19 vaccines. Sample- and response-weighted analyses assessed attitudes by vaccination status and 3 race, ethnicity, and language groupings of interest.

Results

There were 1227 respondents; all identified as female, the mean (SD) age was 31.7 (5.6) years, 356 (29.0%) identified as Black race, 555 (45.2%) identified as Hispanic ethnicity, and 445 (36.3%) preferred the Spanish language. Response rates were 43.5% for wave 1 (652 of 1500 individuals sampled) and 39.5% for wave 2 (575 of 1456 individuals sampled). Respondents were more likely than nonrespondents to be White, non-Hispanic, and vaccinated per EHR. Overall, 76.8% (95% CI, 71.5%-82.2%) reported 1 or more COVID-19 vaccinations; Spanish-speaking Hispanic respondents had the highest weighted proportion of respondents with 1 or more vaccination. Weighted estimates of somewhat or strongly agreeing that COVID-19 vaccines are safe decreased from wave 1 to 2 for respondents who reported 1 or more vaccinations (76% vs 50%; χ21 = 7.8; P < .001), non-Hispanic White respondents (72% vs 43%; χ21 = 5.4; P = .02), and Spanish-speaking Hispanic respondents (76% vs 53%; χ21 = 22.8; P = .002).

Conclusions and Relevance

Decreasing confidence in COVID-19 vaccine safety in a large, diverse pregnant and recently pregnant insured population is a public health concern.

MeSH

Language, Vaccines, Covid-19 Vaccines, Public Health, Vaccination, Clinical Medicine, Covid-19, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, U.S.

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