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Is It Safe for Me to Get It? Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination Decision-Making among Postpartum Women Who Are Black and Hispanic in Deep South

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A Correction to this article was published on 29 February 2024

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Abstract

Background

COVID-19 vaccination is vital for ending the pandemic, yet safety concerns persist among pregnant and postpartum women, especially those who are Black and Hispanic. This study aims to explore factors that influence postpartum women’s vaccination decision-making during pregnancy and postpartum through women’s lived experiences and maternal care providers’ (MCPs) observations.

Methods

From January to August 2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews with postpartum women who are Black and Hispanic and with MCPs. Participants were recruited from obstetric and pediatric clinics in South Carolina and had given birth in 2021. Thematic analysis was employed for data analysis.

Results

The study involved 19 Black and 20 Hispanic women, along with 9 MCPs, and revealed both barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccination. The factors that influence pregnant and postpartum women’s decision about COVID-19 vaccine uptake included: 1) awareness of health threats associated with COVID-19 vaccines, 2) vaccine availability and accessibility, 3) vaccine-related knowledge and exposure to misinformation, 4) concerns regarding pre-existing health conditions and potential side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, 5) emotional factors associated with vaccination decision-making processes, 6) concerns about the well-being of infants, 7) cultural perspectives, and 8) encouragement by trusted supporters.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that reliable information, social support, and trusted MCPs’ advice can motivate COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant and postpartum women who are Black and Hispanic. However, barriers such as misinformation, mistrust in the health care system, and fears of potential side effects impede vaccination uptake. Future interventions should address these barriers, consider health disparities, involve trusted MCPs, and initiate conversations about vaccines to promote vaccination among these populations.

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Data Availability

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author (RZ). The data are not publicly available due to privacy concerns.

Code Availability

Not applicable.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AI127203-5S2 for Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE). XL and JL are the MPIs for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Ran Zhang, Tiffany Byrd, Shan Qiao & Xiaoming Li

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Myriam E. Torres & Jihong Liu

Authors
  1. Ran Zhang
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  2. Tiffany Byrd
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  3. Shan Qiao
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  4. Myriam E. Torres
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  5. Xiaoming Li
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  6. Jihong Liu
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Contributions

JL and SQ conceptualized and designed the study. RZ and TB wrote the first draft and SQ, JL, MET, and XL participated in writing sections of the original proposal. All authors critically reviewed and edited the manuscript. JL, MET, TB, and RZ participated in data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation. JL and XL secured the funding.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ran Zhang.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of South Carolina (Pro00115169).

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants prior to participating in the study.

Consent for Publication

All participants gave consent for the research team to publish the findings of the study.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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The original version of this article was revised due to a retrospective Open Access cancellation.

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Zhang, R., Byrd, T., Qiao, S. et al. Is It Safe for Me to Get It? Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination Decision-Making among Postpartum Women Who Are Black and Hispanic in Deep South. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-01931-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-01931-3

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