COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and behaviors among pregnant women in Nairobi, Kenya with diverse socio-economic and educational backgrounds.

Introduction: Pregnant women are at increased risk of severe manifestations of COVID-19, resulting in ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death compared to non-pregnant women. COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use in pregnant women in early 2022 by the World Health Organization, but permissive policies toward vaccine women differed by country. As education has been associated with vaccine uptake, this study sought to examine the association between socio-economic or educational status and vaccination behaviors, including reasons for vaccination or non-vaccination among pregnant women seeking health care services in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: This study administered a survey to pregnant women at the two referral hospitals in Nairobi: Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and Pumwani Maternity Hospital (PMH).

Results: A total of 400 women took the survey. Pregnant women with college level education were more likely to have been vaccinated for COVID-19 compared to pregnant women without a college education. Women registered or visiting for pregnancy and delivery care from AKUH Kenya were also more likely to be vaccinated compared to women receiving care from PMH. Despite this difference in COVID-19 vaccine uptake, women from both the hospitals had similar reasons for receiving or refusing a COVID-19 vaccine. a Our findings align with previous studies that have showed that education status correlates positively with COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women.

Discussion: To improve maternal vaccination acceptance, education status can be used as a way to segment audiences to inform messaging and other demand generation efforts.