# Patient navigation to improve outcomes among low-income women in the postpartum period

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $234,050

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Pregnancy is a critical window of opportunity for preventive health interventions, including vaccines. Yet, vaccine
hesitancy is a known global phenomenon. Uptake of the currently recommended vaccines in pregnancy
(influenza and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis [TDaP]) is suboptimal, with only 50% of individuals receiving
recommended vaccines. Disparities in vaccine uptake exist, yet this issue has not been thoroughly investigated
from the patient perspective. Little is known about the perspectives of pregnant women who identify as racial or
ethnic minorities or pregnant women living with HIV (WLHIV), both of whom are underrepresented and
understudied populations who are at greater risk of complications from conditions such as influenza.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and introduction of a novel vaccine to health care presents an urgent need
to understand factors driving vaccination uptake, particularly in vulnerable populations such as racial and ethnic
minority pregnant and postpartum women and WLHIV. Early data suggest that pregnant women and
immunocompromised people – such as those living with HIV - are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality
from COVID-19. Understanding the evolving perspectives of these populations will inform educational and
counseling strategies to enhance vaccination uptake in pregnancy and reduce vaccination disparities.
Aim 1 will assess the experiences and preferences of racial and ethnic minority pregnant and postpartum WLHIV
and HIV-seronegative women with regard to standard of care vaccines during pregnancy. Individual interviews
will address perceptions, experiences, and decisions surrounding routine vaccinations during pregnancy,
including issues of trust, access, and knowledge. Analyses will additionally compare perspectives on routine
vaccines that may differ by HIV status. Aim 2 will examine the perspectives of this population on the novel
COVID-19 vaccine. We will explore motivations and sociocultural underpinnings that may clarify the concerns,
beliefs, and experiences surrounding COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. We will additionally compare the
perspectives of women with and without HIV, and we will analyze differences in attitudes for the COVID-19
vaccine versus standard of care vaccines. To accomplish these aims, we will recruit 40 pregnant or recently
postpartum women in partnership with the NICHD-funded Navigating New Motherhood 2 study and the
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Women’s Infectious Diseases Program. Women with and without HIV will be
demographically similar in order to focus on a diverse population of understudied women who are largely low-
income and from a racial or ethnic minority.
This proposal aims to fill an unmet need for a systematic, in-depth, and unbiased evaluation of the attitudes and
preferences of understudied populations of women regarding routine and novel vaccinations during pregnancy.
This project directly aligns with the Trans-NIH Strategic Pl...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10331608
- **Project number:** 3R01HD098178-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lynn M Yee
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $234,050
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10331608

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10331608, Patient navigation to improve outcomes among low-income women in the postpartum period (3R01HD098178-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10331608. Licensed CC0.

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