Hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study based on the health belief model

Background Pregnant women are at high risk for affliction by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccination is a main strategy to prevent and manage the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination (HACV) is a major public health threat and a major barrier to herd immunity. The aim of the study was to evaluate pregnant women’s HACV based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021–2022. Participants were 352 pregnant women selected from several healthcare centers in the north of Iran. Instruments for data collection were a demographic questionnaire, a COVID-19 Knowledge Questionnaire, a COVID-19 Health Belief Questionnaire, and a question about HACV. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the effects of the study variables on HACV. Results The rate of HACV was 42.61%. In the regression model, the three factors of perceived benefits (aOR: 0.700; 95% CI: 0.594 to 0.825), cues to action (aOR: 0.621; 95% CI: 0.516 to 0.574), and history of reproductive problems (aOR: 2.327; 95% CI: 0.1.262 to 4.292) had significant effects on HACV (P