Pregnant Women's Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Vaccination During the Third Trimester: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Tertiary Center in Türkiye

Introduction The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding vaccination during pregnancy. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 478 pregnant women in their third trimester in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic of Ankara Etlik City Hospital between November 2023 and April 2024. Results While 83.7% of participants received the tetanus vaccine, the uptake of influenza (0.6%) and COVID-19 (0.2%) vaccines was notably low. Major reasons for vaccine refusal included insufficient information from healthcare providers (51.7%), concerns regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness (28.0%), and fear of harm to themselves or their babies (27.0%). Nearly half of the participants (47.3%) stated they would accept vaccination if recommended by healthcare professionals The majority of pregnant women in the study were vaccinated against tetanus, while the vaccination rate against influenza and COVID-19 was quite low. Reasons for non-vaccination included insufficient information from healthcare professionals, fear of harming the baby or mother, financial reasons, lack of access to vaccines, insufficient knowledge, and negative attitudes towards vaccination Conclusions The study highlights that tetanus vaccination is widely accepted, whereas influenza and COVID-19 vaccines have low acceptance. Vaccine hesitancy is closely linked to knowledge gaps, safety concerns, and lack of counseling from healthcare providers. Strengthening maternal vaccination programs requires targeted public health strategies and improved counseling by healthcare professionals.