Investigation of the Relationship between COVID-19 Illness Perceptions and Vaccine Attitudes of Midwives and Nurses Working in the Field of Women's Health

Objective: It is known that negative attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and unwillingness to vaccinate are higher in women than in men. Therefore, it is seen that the attitude of midwives and nurses working in the field of women's health toward vaccination is important in influencing women's attitudes toward vaccination. This study aims to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 disease perceptions and attitudes toward vaccination of midwives and nurses working in the field of women's health. Material and Method: The study was conducted in March 2021 in hospitals and primary healthcare institutions in the center of a province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. A cross-sectional research design was used in the study. The study sample consisted of 75 midwives and nurses working in the field of women's health. The data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, the Attitudes Scale towards the COVID-19 Vaccine, and the COVID-19 Illness Perception Questionnaire, and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal Wallis H test, and Spearman correlation. Results: Almost all the participants (94%) were female and most of them (86.7%) had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants' COVID-19 disease perception was high (23.37±4.57), and their attitudes towards vaccination were positive (3.79±0.85). It was found that the difference between the Attitudes Scale towards the COVID-19 Vaccine scores and the Hazards sub-scale score of the COVID-19 Illness Perception Questionnaire and COVID-19 vaccination status was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The midwives and nurses working in the field of women's health were found to have high COVID-19 disease perception and positive attitudes toward vaccination, but there was no significant relationship between COVID-19 disease perception and attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination. The study is believed to contribute to the literature as a guide for midwives and nurses working in the field of women's health.