The Acceptance of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination during Pregnancy in a Regional Public Hospital in Hong Kong

Abstract

Objectives: Pregnant women are at increased risk for complications from influenza. Despite the likely benefit from influenza vaccination, vaccination rates during pregnancy remain low. Our study aimed to define the current vaccination rate and to explore the acceptance of influenza vaccination by pregnant women.
Methods: All Hong Kong pregnant women attending for antenatal care at a regional obstetrics unit from 1 November 2009 to 31 March 2010 were recruited, by virtue of completing a questionnaire. Previous history of influenza vaccination, influenza vaccination in the current pregnancy, recommendations from doctors, and the attitudes towards influenza vaccine were examined. Hospital admissions for influenza and influenza-like illness during pregnancy were noted.
Results: 775 Questionnaires were considered valid for analysis, which amounted to a response rate of 91.9%. The vaccination rate for influenza during pregnancy was 4.4%. Only 8.9% of pregnant women considered influenza vaccine to be safe in pregnancy and only 20.8% had been recommended influenza vaccination by healthcare professionals. In all, 23 of these respondents were diagnosed to have influenza and / or an influenza-like illness. Previous influenza vaccination was associated with an uptake of influenza vaccination in pregnancy (p=0.001). Respondents who thought that the influenza vaccine was safe in pregnancy (odds ratio [OR]=55.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 21.7-139.1) and had been recommended to have it by doctors (OR=9.7; 95% CI, 3.9-24.0) were more likely to have the vaccination. Conclusion: Influenza vaccination rates during pregnancy can be improved by implementing educational
programmes for antenatal service providers and patients. Further studies exploring obstetricians’ and patients’ knowledge about influenza vaccine appear worthwhile.