Jodian Pinkney, MD

Pronouns

She/Her/Hers

Rank

Clinical Fellow

Institution

MGH

BWH-MGH Title

Fellow

Department

Medicine

Authors

Jodian Pinkney*, Kamali Carroll, Lenroy Bryan, Givana Witter, Dina Ashour, Fatma Shebl, Emily Hyle*, Bisola Ojikutu, Laura Bogart

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among reproductive-aged women in Jamaica

WMSS 2022

Participating in the Women in Medicine and Science Symposium creates an invaluable opportunity to foster critical research collaborations and meaningful professional relationships, both of which will advance the scope and quality of research in the future. I am interested in the cost effectiveness of interventions that address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and HIV prevention in the US Black population with a particular focus on women of reproductive age and Caribbean immigrants. I am currently conducting a mixed methods study of vaccine hesitancy and mistrust among pregnant women in Jamaica.

Background

Little is known about the factors which influence COVID-19 vaccine uptake among reproductive-aged women in Jamaica.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of 192 reproductive-aged women in Jamaica from February 1- 8, 2022. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample of women (patients, providers and staff) at a tertiary care hospital. We assessed self-reported COVID-19 vaccination status, vaccine confidence (defined as confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines and the system that delivers them) and medical mistrust beliefs (e.g., “I don’t trust the COVID-19 vaccine”). We used multivariable modified Poisson regression to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between vaccine uptake and pregnancy status adjusting for education and factors scores.

Results

Of 192 respondents, 72(38%) were pregnant and 120 (62%) were non-pregnant (see Table 1). Pregnancy was negatively associated with vaccine uptake (aPR=0.70, 95%CI=0.51 – 0.96; p=0.029). Women with lower vaccine confidence were less likely to be vaccinated (aPR=0.72, 95%CI=0.61 – 0.86; p<0.001). [see Table 2 and Table 3].

Conclusion

Findings suggest that pregnancy and lack of vaccine confidence are factors associated with lower vaccine uptake among reproductive-aged women in Jamaica. Bolstering vaccine confidence may help to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this population.