RESUMO
Purpose of Study The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2017 that only 50.4% of pregnant women received the Tdap vaccination to protect their newborns from pertussis;21.7% were unaware they needed it and 18.3% were concerned about adverse effects on their baby. This study investigated common concerns women expressed online regarding Tdap in pregnancy and assessed accuracy of online content using Reddit, a popular discussion website. Methods Used We used Reddit's built-in search engine to find user-generated posts by searching key words related to Tdap vaccination in pregnancy. Using the same keywords, we also searched commonly appearing subreddits, which are online communities within Reddit dedicated to topics. Working backwards from February 29, 2020 (to avoid COVID issues), we evaluated posts and comments that met the following inclusion criteria: posts from U.S. users with at least 10 comments;posts and comments focused on Tdap in pregnancy. Comments from automated bots or users outside the U.S. were excluded. Using the idea of saturation, Reddit posts with over 50 comments were analyzed until the 50th comment or until 4 subthemes were found. The CDC guidelines were used to judge accuracy. Summary of Results 100 Reddit posts with 2872 comments between February 2020 to October 2018 were included in the study. 74 Reddit posts sought advice on Tdap vaccination, safety/side effects, and who need Tdap. Out of the 2872 comments, 115 contained inaccurate content;96% of those related to the recommended frequency of the pertussis vaccination. Common themes within the comments included: cocooning (a strategy to protect infants by vaccinating close contacts);why and when pregnant women should get Tdap;and side effects. The most prevalent subtheme pertained to visitation rules for those who declined Tdap. Few comments reflected more extreme opinions, such as 'only illegal immigrants have pertussis.' Conclusions Although most pregnant women on Reddit support the recommendation for Tdap in pregnancy, some users report inconsistent information received from their clinicians. Confusion still remains about who should receive Tdap. There is potential for improved patient education provided by clinicians to ensure their pregnant patients have accurate and complete information about Tdap.