Objective: We examined pregnant women's intention to obtain the seasonal influenza vaccine via a randomized controlled study examining the effects of immunization history, message exposure, and sociodemographic correlates.
Methods: Pregnant women ages 18-50 participated in a randomized message framing study from September 2011 through May 2012. Venue-based sampling was used to recruit racial and ethnic minority women throughout Atlanta, Georgia. Key outcomes were evaluated using bivariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: History of influenza immunization was positively associated with intent to immunize during pregnancy [OR=2.31, 90%CI: (1.06, 5.00)]. Significant correlates of intention to immunize included perceived susceptibility to influenza during pregnancy [OR=3.8, 90% CI: (1.75, 8.36)] and vaccine efficacy [OR=10.53, 90% CI: (4.34, 25.50)]. Single message exposure did not influence a woman's intent to vaccinate.
Conclusions: Prior immunization, perceived flu susceptibility and perceived vaccine effectiveness promoted immunization intent among this population of pregnant minority women. Vaccine efficacy and disease susceptibility are critical to promoting immunization among women with no history of seasonal influenza immunization, while those who received the vaccine are likely to do so again. These findings provide evidence for the promotion of repeated exposure to vaccine messages emphasizing vaccine efficacy, normative support, and susceptibility to influenza.
Keywords: immunization coverage; influenza vaccination; message framing; pregnant women; racial/ethnic minorities.