title: Perceptions of Tetanus-diphteria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) Vaccination among Korean Women of Childbearing Age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of cases of pertussis reported has increased gradually in the last decade. Pertussis vaccination is the most effective strategy for the prevention of infection. Despite the fact that young infants are at the highest risk for pertussis, the rate of tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination is presumed to be very low among women of childbearing age in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of women of childbearing age regarding Tdap vaccination in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women of childbearing age, who visited the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at 3 University hospitals in the Seoul and Gyeonggi-do provinces of Korea, were surveyed. Individual questionnaires were administered from April to May 2012. Demographic data, Tdap vaccination history, general knowledge about pertussis, and information on factors associated with decision on vaccination were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 500 reproductive-age women enrolled, only 4 (0.8%) had received the Tdap. The most common reason for non-vaccination was the lack of awareness of pertussis and information about the Tdap. Totally, 171 (34.2%) responded that they would receive a Tdap vaccination in the future. By multivariate analysis, general confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine (odds ratio [OR] = 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17 to 3.01) was indicated as an important factor for deciding whether to receive the Tdap vaccine (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The coverage of Tdap vaccination of women of childbearing age, including pregnant women, is very low because of the lack of awareness of pertussis and the Tdap. Education of women of childbearing age about pertussis is very important to increase Tdap vaccination rates among these women, particularly during the perinatal period.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: In Seon
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yu Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Kyung-Wook
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Ji Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Won Suk
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Joon Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Geum Joon
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Min Jeong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Hai Joong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon Choul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jang Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Woo Joo
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hee Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cheong
keywords: Childbearing age; Perception; Pertussis; Tdap; Vaccination