COVID-19 Knowledge, Message Perceptions and Behaviors among Pregnant and Postpartum Women During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

This study examined the factors associated with COVID-19 knowledge, perceptions of COVID-19 messaging related to the perinatal population, and examined the association between COVID-19 knowledge and adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors among pregnant and postpartum women during the first wave of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in the United States. This was a cross-sectional online survey. A convenience sample of pregnant and postpartum women (18–49) were recruited from across the United States between April and June 2020—during the first wave of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Of the 584 participants, 22.8% correctly answered all COVID-19 knowledge questions and 85.8% correctly identified the primary COVID-19 symptoms. Participants with at least one chronic health condition (aOR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.94) and who were unmarried (aOR=, 95% CI = 0.43, 0.93) had a lower odds of correctly answering COVID-19 knowledge questions. 62% of participants reported COVID-19 messaging was consistent and 43.3% of participants reported being able to find enough COVID-19 information or resources for pregnant or postpartum women. Participants had high levels of adherence to preventive behaviors. Participants who avoided hosting small gatherings during stay-at-home orders were two time as likely to correctly answer COVID-19 knowledge questions (aOR=, (95% CI = 1.15,3.66). The findings underline the importance of prioritizing tailored educational and care needs among pregnant and postpartum people as early as possible during a global health emergency. COVID-19 knowledge among pregnant and postpartum women in the United States was generally low during the early months of the pandemic. During the early months of the pandemic, pregnant and postpartum women demonstrated high knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, but low knowledge related to the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant and postpartum people. Also, tailored COVID-19 messaging and information for pregnant and postpartum people may have been adequate. Greater COVID-19 knowledge was associated with social/physical distancing practices during the stay-at-home orders.