Perception and utilization of tetanus toxoid immunization among pregnant women attending a tertiary centre in North-West Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Despite the availability of inexpensive and effective tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccines, elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus worldwide has become a herculean task, particularly in low-income countries, due to poor immunization coverage. This study aimed to assess the perception and utilization of tetanus toxoid immunization among pregnant women attending a tertiary centre in North-West Nigeria.
 Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 254 pregnant women (selected by systematic sampling technique) attending the antenatal clinic of Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the research variables. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 statistical computer software package.
 Results: Most, 221 (87.0%) of the 254 respondents had heard of tetanus toxoid immunization. Of these, only about half (51.1%) believed that it protects both mother and newborn baby from tetanus. Majority of respondents considered TT immunization to be effective in protecting against tetanus infection (73.3%) and also safe for both mother and baby (79.2%). About two-thirds of respondents (68.8%) had the misconception that a single dose of TT immunization protects from tetanus infection. Less than a quarter of respondents (23.6%) had received two or more doses of the vaccine. The main barriers to utilization of vaccines were lack of awareness of the vaccine (41.8%), not being aware of its benefits (36.7%), and fear of side effects (21.5%)
 Conclusion: Despite high levels of perception of the effectiveness and safety of TT immunization, the respondents in this study had low levels of perception and utilization of the protective doses of the vaccine. Government and healthcare workers should scale-up education of the populace on TT immunization schedule and implement community based vaccination of women of child bearing age in North-West Nigeria.
 Keywords: Perception, utilization, tetanus toxoid immunization, pregnant women

Knowledge about Care of Pregnant Mothers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…This examination does not reduce the low level of antenatal care to monitor physical, mental health and fetal growth and development. This is in accordance with Wahyuningsih's (2016) study to diagnose pregnancy by using the mother's abdominal examination technique to determine the position of the fetus by palpation called Leopold palpation, where Leopold palpation consists of 4 examinations [13].…”

“…The protective effect appears when it is given at least 2 times with a minimum distance of 4 weeks, except if in the previous child's pregnancy or when the previous bride and groom had received TT 2 times, then TT was only given 1 time [17]. This is in line with the research of https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/index Awosan and Hassan (2018) about half of the respondents in their study who believe that TT immunization protects newborns and mothers from tetanus, and most believe that it is recommended only for pregnant women which shows a gap in the population's sensitivity to the disease as most of them obtained information about the disease through health workers (during antenatal clinic visits), who were likely to be more interested in vaccine promotion among their clients [18].…”

Determinants of Tetanus Toxoid Vaccination Use among Pregnant Women

“…They can also enhance their knowledge about the TTV and consequently improving their attitudes regarding its use. [12,23,27,31] Significance of the study Maternal and neonatal tetanus is a worldwide life threatening disease. Its mortality approaches 100% without medical care.…”

Barriers in Utilization of Reproductive and Child Health Services in Slums of Delhi, India: an Observational Study

“…vaccine during their last pregnancy. The main barriers to utilization of vaccines were lack of awareness about the vaccine (41.8%), not being aware of its benefits (36.7%), and fear of injection (21.5%) [13].…”