Pertussis vaccination coverage among Australian women prior to childbirth in the cocooning era: a two-hospital, cross-sectional survey, 2010 to 2013

Elizabeth H Hayles; Spring C Cooper; John Sinn; Nick Wood; Julie Leask; Susan Rachel Skinner

doi:10.1111/ajo.12429

Pertussis vaccination coverage among Australian women prior to childbirth in the cocooning era: a two-hospital, cross-sectional survey, 2010 to 2013

Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2016 Apr;56(2):185-91. doi: 10.1111/ajo.12429. Epub 2016 Jan 11.

Authors

Elizabeth H Hayles¹, Spring C Cooper², John Sinn³, Nick Wood¹, Julie Leask⁴, Susan Rachel Skinner⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Centre for Immunisation Research and Survellience, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² The School of Public Health, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA.
³ Department of Neonatology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ The School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁵ Discipline of Paediatric and Child Health, The Children's Hospital at Westead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 26751804
DOI: 10.1111/ajo.12429

Abstract

Background: Recent pertussis epidemics have triggered implementation of cocooning, involving caregiver vaccination to indirectly protecting susceptible infants.

Aim: To determine patient, provider and setting factors associated with maternal pertussis booster vaccination (dTpa) within 5-10 years before childbirth.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional survey using Health Belief Model constructs among postpartum women in a tertiary referral centre and a private hospital in Sydney, Australia.

Results: Pertussis vaccination was current among 33.7% of the 2483 new mothers (0.5% vaccinated during pregnancy). Women were more likely to be vaccinated if they had heard of 'whooping cough' from a health professional (OR: 2.59, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.70-3.95), were recommended the vaccine (OR: 2.48, P < 0.00, 95% CI: 1.55-4.00), perceived pertussis as 'severe' for adults (OR: 1.21, p0.009, 95% CI: 1.05-1.39) and 'common' within their community (OR: 1.38, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.18-1.61). They more often agreed that it was their parental responsibility to be vaccinated (OR: 1.61, P = 0.002, 95% CI: 1.19-2.18), and this would help prevent their baby from contracting pertussis (OR: 1.22, P = 0.046, 95% CI: 1.00-1.47). Vaccinated women were less likely to report vaccination barriers: time constraints (OR: 0.75, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.66-0.85) and having safety concerns (OR: 0.80, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.69-0.92). Additionally, their partners reported three times higher uptake (76% vs 49%; P < 0.001; 95% CI: 2.66-3.85).

Conclusions: Current pertussis vaccination in only one in every three postpartum participants may indicate insufficient coverage to protect newborns. Practitioners are instrumental in raising awareness and addressing vaccine concerns. Integrating vaccination into routine obstetric care, whether antenatally or postnatally, may minimise barriers.

Keywords: cocooning; health belief model; maternal vaccination; pertussis booster vaccine; whooping cough.

MeSH terms

Adult
Australia
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Hospitals, Maternity
Humans
Immunity, Herd
Immunization, Secondary / statistics & numerical data*
Postpartum Period
Prenatal Care
Professional-Patient Relations
Prospective Studies
Social Control, Informal
Surveys and Questionnaires
Time Factors
Vaccination / statistics & numerical data*
Whooping Cough / prevention & control*

Substances

Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines