PP-025 Assessment of knowledge, attidues and practices, on COVID-19 vaccine among high risk pregnant and lactating women: a cross-sectional study

To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practicesofCOVID-19 vaccine among high-risk pregnant and lactating women in a tertiary hospital. Specific Objectives: 1. To describe the socio-demographic characteristics of patients seeking high-risk antenatal care 2. To determine the co-morbidities of the study population and their COVID-19 vaccine history 3. To evaluate the knowledge on COVID-19 vaccine of high-risk patients 4. To identify attitude affecting women’s decision-making regarding COVID-19vaccine 5. To determine the practices regarding COVID-19 vaccine among high-risk women

A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on high-risk pregnant and lactating women who sought antenatal consults at the High Risk Clinic in a tertiary training hospital. Participants were asked to answer a validated questionnaire assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and practices on COVID-19 vaccine. They were also asked about their socio-demographic characteristics, co-morbidities, history of COVID-19 infection and vaccination status as well as the source of the information regarding the vaccine. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize in this study. In addition, frequency and proportion were used for nominal variables, median and range for ordinal variables, and mean and standard deviation for interval or ratio variables.

A total of 323 high-risk pregnant and lactating women were enrolled in the study with an average age of 29 years old. Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants showed that they were high-school graduate, single, mostly financially disadvantaged and resides in CALABARZON area. Majority have diabetes mellitus as their co-morbidity, were not infected with COVID-19 and had already been vaccinated. The significant source of information of vaccine information was mainly from social media. The study presented that more than 90% were aware that COVID-19 vaccine was recommended by professional organizations however only 55-59% only agree that it is safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The result also conveyed a positive attitude towards vaccination as the pregnancy progresses as well as during lactation. As to practices, 80% of the participants were told by their healthcare providers to get vaccinated and 72% of them reported vaccine side effects. Furthermore, 58% of the participants would recommend vaccination during pregnancy while only 54% will recommend it while breastfeeding.

Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of COVID-19 vaccine among high-risk pregnant and lactating women gave an understanding on how a vulnerable population perceive vaccination. In general, this research study presented high percentage COVID-19 vaccine awareness and acceptance however it can also be seen that there is a mixed perception regarding vaccine safety during pregnancy and lactation. Strategies to improve health literacy which are evidenced based that can be carried out by a health care provider could be established to achieve maximum vaccination coverage among high-risk group of patients.