Awareness, Knowledge, and Uptake of the Pertussis Vaccine During Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and aim Maternal pertussis vaccination (MPV) with tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis during pregnancy is an effective strategy to protect young infants from severe pertussis infection. Despite national and international recommendations, uptake of MPV remains suboptimal in many settings, including Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study is to assess awareness, knowledge, uptake, and intention to receive MPV among pregnant and recently postpartum women and to identify factors associated with it. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women in their third trimester and women within 30 days postpartum attending the obstetrics and gynecology clinic at King Abdullah Medical Complex, Jeddah. A validated, self-administered questionnaire adapted from previous research was used for data collection. The calculated sample size was 338, and participants were selected using simple random sampling. Eligible women were approached by the primary researcher in the outpatient clinic and maternity ward. Results Among 351 participants, MPV uptake was very low, with only 10 women (2.8%) vaccinated. Nevertheless, 109 participants (31.1%) reported an intention to receive MPV if it were offered free of charge. Awareness and knowledge levels were mostly low among study participants. In the univariate analysis, higher knowledge levels were associated with MPV uptake (crude OR = 6.619; 95% CI: 1.814-24.151). In contrast, lack of or uncertainty regarding physician recommendation was associated with lower uptake (crude OR = 0.971; 95% CI: 0.953-0.989). Conclusions MPV uptake of less than 3% in this study reveals a substantial gap between national policy and clinical practice, consistent with findings from comparable settings regionally and internationally. These findings highlight clear and actionable priorities: routine MPV counseling should be integrated into antenatal care protocols, vaccine accessibility should be improved, awareness campaigns should be strengthened through media channels, and the implementation mechanisms of the national program should be reevaluated. In addition, larger multicenter longitudinal studies are recommended to further explore this public health issue in the region and to inform more effective interventions.