Tetanus immunization in pregnant women: evaluation of maternal tetanus vaccination status and factors affecting rate of vaccination coverage

The objectives of this study were to determine the tetanus vaccination status for pregnant women, and to examine the effects of various factors on tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination coverage during pregnancy in reproductive-age women. Four-hundred and ninety-three postpartum women who had live births at a hospital in Ankara were interviewed and information was collected on the mothers' sociodemographic characteristics, TT vaccination history, and prenatal care during the pregnancy studied. The rates for no vaccination, one-dose vaccination, and two-dose vaccination were 53.3%, 18.9%, and 27.8%, respectively. The vaccinated women (with at least one dose) were significantly younger, of lower parity, and had attended more prenatal care visits than the unvaccinated women. Of the women who attended at least one prenatal care check-up, only about half were vaccinated. Significantly more rural women were vaccinated against tetanus than urban women. Current vaccination rates with TT during pregnancy were found to be well below universal levels. Turkey needs to launch effective mass media campaigns that target urban and suburban populations, and inform and motivate women to request vaccination against tetanus.