Harvard Opinion Research Program

Views of Pregnant Women and New Mothers on H1N1

Views of Pregnant Women and New Mothers on H1N1

 

FIELD DATES: January 26 – February 26, 2010

SELECT FINDINGS: PREGNANT WOMEN

  • Experiences and behaviors related to the H1N1 vaccine – About four in ten (42%) pregnant women got the H1N1 flu vaccine as of the end of February 2010. Half of pregnant women either did not intend to get the H1N1 flu vaccine (37%) or were not sure about getting the H1N1 flu vaccine by the end of March 2010 (13%).
  • Information sources and messaging about the H1N1 vaccine – Most pregnant women (82%) knew that the current public health recommendation is for pregnant women to get the H1N1 flu vaccine. Nonetheless, only a third (32%) of pregnant women knew that getting the H1N1 flu vaccine provides protection to their baby against H1N1. Two-thirds (67%) of pregnant women believed the H1N1 flu vaccine is safe (26% very, 41% somewhat) for pregnant women to take. However, this percentage was less than the percentage of women who said that the seasonal flu vaccine is safe for pregnant women (81%). 
  • Non-pharmaceutical H1N1 prevention – Most pregnant women (85%) said that, since the beginning of their pregnancy, they have washed or sanitized their hands more frequently to reduce the chance that they would get H1N1. Two-thirds of pregnant women (68%) reported taking steps to avoid being near someone who has flu-like symptoms and a third (31%) avoided places whether many people are gathered. 
  • Experiences with H1N1 and treatment – Seven percent (7%) of pregnant women had been sick with an illness they believe was H1N1 since the beginning of their pregnancy. 

SELECT FINDINGS: NEW MOTHERS

  • Experiences and behaviors related to the H1N1 vaccine – About three in ten (32%) women who have an infant under the age of one (“new mothers”) have received the H1N1 flu vaccine to date. A third (35%) of new mothers who have an infant six months or older have gotten the H1N1 flu vaccine for their baby. Over half of these new mothers either did not intend to get the H1N1 vaccine for their baby (38%) or were not sure about getting it for their baby by the end of March 2010 (17%). A majority cited safety risks to their baby (65%) as a “major reason” for their position.
  • Information sources and messaging about the H1N1 vaccine – About two-thirds (66%) of new mothers believe the H1N1 flu vaccine is safe (22% very, 44% somewhat) for children 6 months to 1 year old to take.
  • Non-pharmaceutical H1N1 prevention – Most new mothers say that, since their baby was born, they have washed or sanitized their hands more frequently (91%) and taken steps to avoid being near someone who has flu-like symptoms (81%) to reduce the chance that their baby would get H1N1.

METHODS AND SAMPLE: Online poll of pregnant women and mothers of children under age 1 (“new mothers”).  To reach these low-incidence populations, HORP recruited women in the U.S. aged 18-50 through KnowledgePanel®, a probability-based online panel built through random-digit dialing and address-based sampling, and supplemented this with sample from an opt-in panel.  There were 1040 respondents in total, including 514 pregnant women and 526 new mothers.

 

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