Abstract

Objective To explore COVID-19 vaccination uptake, facilitators and barriers in ethnically-diverse pregnant women. Design and setting An anonymous quality improvement questionnaire survey exploring COVID-19 vaccination uptake, causes of vaccine hesitancy and trusted sources of information among pregnant women in two acute district general hospitals in England (Berkshire and Surrey) between 1.9.21 and 28.2.22. Population 441 pregnant women attending routine antenatal clinic appointments. Methods Consented pregnant women completed the survey either electronically using a QR code or on paper. Descriptive data were summarised and free text responses were thematically analysed. Results 441 pregnant women, mean age 32 years (range 17–44), completed the survey. Twenty-six percent were from ethnic minority groups, and 31% had a co-morbid health condition. Most respondents (66.2%) had been vaccinated against COVID-19 with at least one dose (White British 71.9%, Asian 67.9%, White-other 63.6%, Black 33%). The most common reasons for not being vaccinated were concerns about effects on the unborn baby and future pregnancies, anxiety about possible adverse impact on the mother, not enough known about the vaccine, and lack of trust in vaccines. Comments included: “I’d rather not risk injecting the unknown into my body”, and “I don’t trust it.” Although 23% used social media for information on COVID-19 vaccination, the most trusted sources were the patient’s GP and midwife (43%) and official health-related websites such as NHS (39%). Conclusions A third of these pregnant women had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Trusted health professionals like midwives and GPs could have a crucial role in increasing vaccination uptake.