Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program

Vaccination during pregnancy is vital for protecting both maternal and fetal health. A single-center, observational study was conducted with pregnant women attending the antenatal pregnancy school at Ankara City Hospital to assess the effect of maternal immunization training on pregnant women’s know...

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Main Authors: Aslınur Özkaya Parlakay, Bircan Kayaaslan, Gonca Türker Ergün, Burak Elmas, Vesile Türk, Mehtap Tuğba Dokumacı, Özlem Moraloğlu Tekin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21645515.2025.2521187
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author Aslınur Özkaya Parlakay
Bircan Kayaaslan
Gonca Türker Ergün
Burak Elmas
Vesile Türk
Mehtap Tuğba Dokumacı
Özlem Moraloğlu Tekin
author_facet Aslınur Özkaya Parlakay
Bircan Kayaaslan
Gonca Türker Ergün
Burak Elmas
Vesile Türk
Mehtap Tuğba Dokumacı
Özlem Moraloğlu Tekin
author_sort Aslınur Özkaya Parlakay
collection DOAJ
description Vaccination during pregnancy is vital for protecting both maternal and fetal health. A single-center, observational study was conducted with pregnant women attending the antenatal pregnancy school at Ankara City Hospital to assess the effect of maternal immunization training on pregnant women’s knowledge and beliefs about vaccines through pre- and post-training evaluations. Participants completed a 26-item, 3-point Likert questionnaire both before and after a 30-minute training session led by specialist physicians. Changes in response rates for each statement were analyzed. Among 583 enrolled women, 308 completed both questionnaires and were included in the analysis. The median age was 28 years, and 90.6% had at least a high school education. The median gestational age was 34 weeks (range: 8–41), with 79.1% in the third trimester, and 49% were primigravida. Vaccination rates during the current pregnancy was reported by 66.6%, with Td (57.8%) as the most common vaccine, followed by Tdap (11.7%), COVID-19 (3.9%), and influenza (1.6%). Healthcare workers were the primary (92.2%) and most trusted (97.4%) source of vaccine information. Significant changes were observed in 23 of 26 post-training questionnaire statements. The most noticeable increase was related to awareness regarding pertussis and influenza vaccines during pregnancy. Concerns about vaccine-related harm during pregnancy also declined. However, general opposition to vaccination remained unchanged. In conclusion, providing education on immunization to pregnant women can improve vaccine knowledge and dispel misconceptions, offering public health benefits. Integrating these educational sessions into routine antenatal care may improve vaccination rates.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2164-5515
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publishDate 2025-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-61a387a099f24ea1a722de844e6c85582025-08-20T03:29:31ZengTaylor & Francis GroupHuman Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics2164-55152164-554X2025-12-0121110.1080/21645515.2025.2521187Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training programAslınur Özkaya Parlakay0Bircan Kayaaslan1Gonca Türker Ergün2Burak Elmas3Vesile Türk4Mehtap Tuğba Dokumacı5Özlem Moraloğlu Tekin6Department of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TürkiyeDepartment of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TürkiyeDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TürkiyeDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TürkiyeDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TürkiyeVaccines Medical, Sanofi, Ankara, TürkiyeDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TürkiyeVaccination during pregnancy is vital for protecting both maternal and fetal health. A single-center, observational study was conducted with pregnant women attending the antenatal pregnancy school at Ankara City Hospital to assess the effect of maternal immunization training on pregnant women’s knowledge and beliefs about vaccines through pre- and post-training evaluations. Participants completed a 26-item, 3-point Likert questionnaire both before and after a 30-minute training session led by specialist physicians. Changes in response rates for each statement were analyzed. Among 583 enrolled women, 308 completed both questionnaires and were included in the analysis. The median age was 28 years, and 90.6% had at least a high school education. The median gestational age was 34 weeks (range: 8–41), with 79.1% in the third trimester, and 49% were primigravida. Vaccination rates during the current pregnancy was reported by 66.6%, with Td (57.8%) as the most common vaccine, followed by Tdap (11.7%), COVID-19 (3.9%), and influenza (1.6%). Healthcare workers were the primary (92.2%) and most trusted (97.4%) source of vaccine information. Significant changes were observed in 23 of 26 post-training questionnaire statements. The most noticeable increase was related to awareness regarding pertussis and influenza vaccines during pregnancy. Concerns about vaccine-related harm during pregnancy also declined. However, general opposition to vaccination remained unchanged. In conclusion, providing education on immunization to pregnant women can improve vaccine knowledge and dispel misconceptions, offering public health benefits. Integrating these educational sessions into routine antenatal care may improve vaccination rates.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21645515.2025.2521187Knowledgematernal immunizationpregnancy trainingpregnant womenvaccination attitude
spellingShingle Aslınur Özkaya Parlakay
Bircan Kayaaslan
Gonca Türker Ergün
Burak Elmas
Vesile Türk
Mehtap Tuğba Dokumacı
Özlem Moraloğlu Tekin
Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
Knowledge
maternal immunization
pregnancy training
pregnant women
vaccination attitude
title Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
title_full Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
title_fullStr Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
title_short Assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
title_sort assessment of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in a population of pregnant women and impact of a training program
topic Knowledge
maternal immunization
pregnancy training
pregnant women
vaccination attitude
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21645515.2025.2521187
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