COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Hesitancy among Pregnant and Lactating Women in Saudi Arabia.

Hayfa Abdulkhaleq AlHefdhi Syed Esam MahmoodManar Ahmed I AlsaeediHaifa' Hisham A AlwabelMariam Salem AlshahraniEbtihaj Yahya AlshehriRawan Ahmed O AlhamlanMaram Nawar Alosaimi

Published in: Vaccines (2023)

We uncovered high levels of hesitancy, primarily induced by concerns about adverse effects and social media-related misinformation. These high levels of vaccine uptake are likely due to the large-scale obligatory vaccination program provided in Saudi Arabia, which was well-structured and far reaching. Our results provide further support for the so-called "protection motivation theory" in boosting vaccine acceptance. Counseling and educating pregnant and breastfeeding women about COVID-19 vaccination is the need of the hour.

Keyphrases

social media
coronavirus disease
sars cov
polycystic ovary syndrome
health information
pregnant women
pregnancy outcomes
preterm infants
quality improvement
metabolic syndrome
heat stress
respiratory syndrome coronavirus
insulin resistance
human immunodeficiency virus