Pregnant women and newborns are more vulnerable to severe influenza, and many nations, including France, advise yearly influenza vaccine throughout pregnancy. During the 2015–16 influenza season in France, researchers intended to quantify influenza vaccination and refusal rates as well as analyse related variables among pregnant women. They analysed data from a nationwide representative sample of women who gave birth in March 2016 and were questioned before being discharged from the hospital. Robust Poisson regression models were employed in the multivariable analysis to investigate correlations with maternal and prenatal care variables. Pregnant women were vaccinated against influenza at a rate of 7.4 percent. Only 24.9 percent of women reported receiving a vaccine suggestion from their care provider, and 70.4 percent of them rejected. Vaccine uptake was linked to low parity, a high educational level, healthcare employment during pregnancy, and previous influenza-related illnesses. When their primary care provider was a general practitioner, women were more likely to be vaccinated. After a provider suggestion, multiparous women and those with a medium or low educational level were substantially more likely than others to refuse influenza vaccination.
In France, influenza vaccination coverage is quite low, owing to rare care provider offers and frequent women’s refusals. In order to encourage immunisation among medical professionals and minimise the hesity of pregnant women, effective interventions should be developed.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2019.1688035
