Attitude towards covid-19 vaccines and vaccine hesitancy in antenal and breast-feeding women in tribal and urban communities of Kashmir-A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Background: The World Health Organization indicated vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health. The success of a vaccine depends not only on its efficacy but also on its acceptance. Pregnant women are at high risk of severe illness, intensive care unit admission (3 times more likely), and invasive ventilation (1.5 times more likely) when compared with non-pregnant women of the same age. Objective(s) * To study attitude towards covid 19 vaccines in antenatal and breastfeeding women * Proportion of vaccine hesitancy among antenatal and breastfeeding women in tribal and urban communities of Kashmir. Material(s) and Method(s) * Study design: Cross-sectional study * Study period August 2021 to December 2021 * Study population Antenatal and breast-feeding women in tribal and urban communities of block Hazratbal, Kashmir. * Sample size A total of 414 participants were recruited for the study. * Sampling technique snowball sampling. * Study tool VAX (vaccine attitude scale) scale was used to asses attitude of study participants towards vaccine. * Information about socio demographic variables and reasons for vaccine hesitancy was also obtained. Result(s) 1) Among the reasons assessed for uncertainty or unwillingness to vaccinate (n = 350) 65% of woman were worried about possible side effects both for themselves and for fetus/infant. 2) In Response to VAX (Vaccine attitude scale) scale n = 414 % of women had high level of negative attitude towards protection after getting vaccinated and 79.9% of women had high level of negative attitude towards safety of covid-19 vaccination. Conclusion(s) The dissemination of professional and reliable information regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine uptake by qualified health care personnel can significantly increase the level of trust and public awareness regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.