Abstract:

Despite the proven efficacy of the Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) in preventing Hepatitis B disease and its adverse health outcomes to mother and child, the vaccination coverage among pregnant women remains alarmingly low in sub-Saharan countries, including Nigeria. This study assessed the Hepatitis B vaccine uptake and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at primary health care facilities in Obio/Akpor, Rivers State, Nigeria. A facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted across eight primary healthcare facilities from August to September 2024 using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were collected from 352 participants and analysed using proportion, chi-square, and binary logistic regression with statistical significance set at p ≤ 0.05 and 95% confidence interval not including unity. The prevalence of HBV uptake is 24.1% (95% CI = 19.63 – 28.56). Women aged 29-36 years have the highest prevalence, 32% (95% CI = 27.33 -36.66), while pregnant women aged 20-28 years have the lowest prevalence, 13.4% (95% CI = 9.84-16.95). Major reasons for not taking the vaccine include fear of side effects (24.4%), reluctance (18.7%), fear of injection (18.4%), vaccine inaccessibility (13%), and cost (11.6%). HBV uptake was significantly influenced by age, marital status, educational level, employment status, the influence of the partner’s decision, and gestational age. There is a low uptake of HBV vaccine among pregnant women seeking care at the primary healthcare facilities in Obio/Akpor LGA, Rivers State, Nigeria. This can be mitigated through health education, training of primary health workers, and integration of free HBV into the antenatal care components.