Knowledge and attitudes towards maternal immunization: perspectives from pregnant and non-pregnant mothers, their partners, mothers, healthcare providers, community and leaders in a selected urban setting in South Africa

Motlatso Godongwana; Nellie Myburgh; Sunday A Adedini; Clare Cutland; Nomasonto Radebe

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05926

Knowledge and attitudes towards maternal immunization: perspectives from pregnant and non-pregnant mothers, their partners, mothers, healthcare providers, community and leaders in a selected urban setting in South Africa

Heliyon. 2021 Jan 30;7(1):e05926. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05926. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Authors

Motlatso Godongwana^{1

2}, Nellie Myburgh^{1

3}, Sunday A Adedini^{1

3}, Clare Cutland^{1

3}, Nomasonto Radebe¹

Affiliations

¹ Medical Research Council: Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
² Programme in Demography and Population Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Schools of Public Health and Social Sciences, South Africa.
³ Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Background: Maternal immunization has prevented millions of child deaths globally; nevertheless, incomplete vaccination remains a public health concern in South Africa, where almost half of child deaths occur during neonatal period. This study explored the knowledge and attitudes inhibiting vaccine acceptancy during pregnancy.

Methods: Key informant and semi-structured interviews were conducted with pregnant women receiving antenatal care at community clinics, antenatal care staff, women enrolled in maternal immunization trials, community leaders and non-pregnant women residing in Soweto. Focus Group Discussions were also held with the mothers and husbands/partners of the pregnant women (n = 55).

Results: The study established good knowledge, a positive attitude and high acceptability of maternal immunization among pregnant women, non-pregnant women, antenatal staff as well as church and community leaders. Men were the least positive about maternal immunization. Aside from antenatal staff, there was poor knowledge regarding the types of vaccinations administered and the health benefits of immunization across all the study groups. Reasons adduced for poor knowledge about the types of vaccinations include lack of communication on maternal immunization during antenatal sessions or clinic visits and power dynamics that tend to exist between healthcare workers and patients.

Conclusion: Ensuring that healthcare workers provide useful information on immunization during antenatal visits as well as include men in education sessions regarding the benefit of vaccination may increase patients' confidence and immunization uptake.

Keywords: Attitudes; Knowledge; Maternal immunization; Vaccination.

Abstract

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