Predictors of H1N1 vaccination in pregnancy

The purpose of this review was to determine factors that influence a pregnant woman's acceptance of the H1N1 vaccine with the use of the Health Belief Model (HBM). A self-administered questionnaire based on the HBM was used in a cross-sectional study of postpartum women during the 2009 H1N1 epidemic. Overall, 212 postpartum women were approached and agreed to participate; of these women, 25.5% had received an H1N1 vaccination. Perceived barriers to vaccination (P = .001) and perceived severity of infection (P = .018) were independent predictors of vaccination. The total predictive utility of the full model that incorporated HBM dimensions, age, race, care provider, and education level was moderate (area under the curve, 0.86). The addressing of perceived barriers (such as fear of side-effects), an explanation of the safety of the vaccine for the fetus, and the stressing of complications that are associated with H1N1 infection in pregnancy may increase the rate of vaccination.