Vaccinations against, flu, whooping cough, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus can protect both pregnant women and their babies. Many pregnant women miss out on these vaccinations, especially women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
To find out why and to find possible solutions, we have reviewed the existing scientific research. In addition, we have conducted needs assessments in socially and ethnically mixed areas of London and asked service users and providers for their recommendations. This has informed our planned VIP Study.
Our overall goal is to increase informed choice and uptake of vaccinations during pregnancy to prevent disease and death of mothers and babies and reduce health inequalities. As part of the VIP Study we will carry out development work together with pregnant or recently pregnant women, midwives and other stakeholders in London and Liverpool.
Get in touch if the topic of maternal vaccinations interests you and is relevant to you – for example, if you are currently pregnant, were recently pregnant, know someone who is pregnant, or if you are a healthcare provider or other stakeholder.
Find out how to join our call for entries and win prizes.
Find out how to take part in our study by having a relaxed and friendly chat.
For more information or other ways to get involved, email: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk.
This project is funded by an NIHR Programme Development Grant (NIHR207562). Disclaimer: The views expressed above are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
The VIP Study team includes researchers from the app of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, St George’s University London, Kingston University London and University of Cambridge.
We also receive support from researchers, clinicians, nurses and midwives at the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, and from the NIHR Clinical Research Network.
Lay summary
Background
Vaccinations against COVID-19, flu, whooping cough, and RSV can protect pregnant women/people and their babies from disease or death. But many pregnant women miss out on these vaccinations, especially women living in more deprived parts of the country and those from ethnically diverse communities.
To find out why vaccination rates are low and possible solutions, we reviewed existing research. We also carried out two studies in socially and ethnically mixed areas of London and asked pregnant women/people and health providers for their recommendations.
Our goal is to increase informed choice and uptake of vaccinations during pregnancy to improve health for underserved communities.
Planned work over 14 months
First, we will carry out research interviews with 10-15 midwives and ask their opinions. Then we will work with patients, the public and health providers (pregnant women, women hoping to become pregnant, midwives, maternity assistants and others) tol develop an improvement programme to increase vaccine uptake in pregnancy.
This will focus on service users, providers and services.
For service users
We will develop brief videos, where ‘real’ people, including midwives and pregnant women/people, their families, community stakeholders and community champions, share their personal stories about vaccinations in pregnancy.
For providers
We will develop materials and training for midwives and other HCPs to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in maternal vaccines and their capability, opportunity and motivation to advise pregnant women/people about vaccinations against COVID-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough during pregnancy. To do this we will use evidence on how and why people change what they do to improve their health.
Services
We will explore possible service level factors, organisational and systemic changes to improve vaccination rates.
We will then carry out research interviews with 20 women and 20 midwives to obtain their feedback about our programme and adapt or amend it, if needed.
Patient and public involvement
Pregnant women/people recommended the work we have planned and helped design the research. We will work with them at every step, from designing the programme and research to sharing the results.
Expected impacts
Our study will result in a programme that can be delivered in the NHS and is acceptable to pregnant women, midwives and hospital staff. We will then apply for funding to do a large study across the UK to see if the programme increases vaccinations in pregnancy, including among people living in more deprived areas and those from a diverse ethnic population, and if it provides value for money. This could inform the way we provide services and improve the health of mothers and their babies. We will publish and share what we have learned with researchers, policymakers, healthcare providers and members of the public.ation with focus on health research) through an LSHTM Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) Pump Priming Grant (Wellcome ISSF Pump Priming Grant reference: 204928/Z/16/Z).
We have obtained approval for the study from the NHS Health Research Authority, the London - South East NHS Research Ethics Committee and the LSHTM Research Ethics Committee.
The VIP Study team includes researchers from the app of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, St George’s University London, Kingston University London and University of Cambridge. We also receive support from researchers, clinicians, nurses and midwives at the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, and from the NIHR Clinical Research Network and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) representatives.
Professor / Co-Principal Investigator
Caroline Free
Professor / Co-Principal Investigator
Professor / Co-Investigator
Sima
Berendes
Assistant Professor
Eneyi
Kpokiri
Assistant Professor
Co-Investigator
Professor / Co-Investigator
Joe
Tucker
Professor of Global Health
Professor / Co-Investigator
Co-Investigator
Emmanuela Osei-Asemani
Research Assistant
Vaccinations In Pregnancy (VIP) crowdsourcing open call for contributions!
Do you want to help mothers protect themselves and the ones they love?
We need your personal stories or ideas to increase vaccine uptake among pregnant women. Join our open call for contributions for a chance to win up to £500. For each of the two categories we will award 10 contributors prizes totalling £3,000.
Contributions will be used to improve services.
Are you a mother, currently pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant?
Are you a service provider working in or learning about maternal care and vaccination services?
Please see below to learn how you can take part and win one of many prizes.
Background
Maternal vaccinations protect against severe disease in pregnancy and newborns. However, some pregnant women, especially those in socially and ethnically diverse areas, may be reluctant to take vaccines. The reasons for this reluctance are complex, including concerns about vaccines, misinformation, fear of adverse effects, family views about vaccines, and mistrust in services.
Purpose
As part of the Vaccination In Pregnancy (VIP) study, we will create videos that feature real people sharing their personal stories.
We are looking for personal stories or messages (texts, draft audio- or video clips) that can help pregnant women from diverse backgrounds consider getting vaccinated during pregnancy. This could be a very simple, but genuine spoken message, phrase, jingle, a song, or anything that would inspire pregnant women who are uncertain about getting vaccinated to change behaviour.
In addition, we are looking for creative ideas to help pregnant women to get vaccinated.
Therefore, you can contribute to two options:
A) A video message to inspire women
or
B) Creative ideas to support maternal vaccine uptake
Please read details in the sections below before submission.
When you are ready, please submit here: .
If you are unable to submit using the link above, you may instead submit via Email: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk or WhatsApp: 078 9515 3469.
Submission deadline: 3 August 2025.
Contest description and specific instructions
Format of possible entries
We will accept entries submitted in the following formats:
- Text (written stories or ideas)- in Word or pdf documents or as a text/WhatsApp message: No more than 200 words
- Photos or images (with an accompanying explanatory text or descriptive text) - in jpg, png, pdf or PPT: Maximum file size 6 MB
- Audio-clips (voice notes): No longer than 2 minutes
- Video-clips: No longer than 2 minutes
If you submit a video, audio or text, we may ask you later if you agree to being filmed by our professional video producer or communications team. We may also be able to help you even before your submission with recording or filming if needed. (See 'Tips and help for entries' and 'Frequently asked questions' below.)
Language: We will accept submissions made in English or any other language
Content of entries
Eligibility: All submissions should be related to either
- Stories from women who have been vaccinated or healthcare workers who give vaccines during pregnancy. (Contest A)
- Real-life experiences from people who were initially not sure or did not take vaccines, but later changed their mind. (Contest A)
- Ideas or strategies to support the offer, delivery and/or uptake of vaccines during pregnancy. (Contest B)
You may talk about or refer to vaccines in pregnancy in general or any specific type of vaccines that are recommended in pregnancy. These can include vaccines against whooping cough, flu, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
(You may also refer to past or potential future vaccines, such as Covid-19 or Group B Streptococcus vaccines, if this may help with current or future vaccine uptake.)
Who can enter/take part?
You can take part if you are an adult (18 years or older) and currently live or work in England. You can also submit a contribution as part of a group of adults (including their children and/or spouses if applicable).
We welcome entries from everyone, but we are especially interested in contributions from the groups below:
a) Service user: You can take part if you are currently pregnant, are planning to get pregnant or have a child. You can also take part as a partner, relative or friend of a service user.
b) Community organisations: You can also send in ideas if you are member of a community organisation working in the development of health interventions or service provision for women, vaccine services, vaccine hesitancy study or related field and have practical ideas to enhance vaccine uptake among women
c) Providers and others: Midwives, midwife assistants, doctors, pharmacists, healthcare managers, public health specialists, researchers, charity members and other people involved in antenatal care, postnatal care, and other services relevant to vaccination in pregnancy.
The same person or a team can submit multiple entries.
Rules of entry
- You may submit more than one contribution (up to three)
- Contributions should be mainly your own work. The help of other people should be acknowledged.
- Contributions must be suitable for display to a general audience with respect to visual content and presentation. The use of vulgar words is not permitted.
You may withdraw your contribution if you change your mind. To do so, please email to: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk.
Prizes
We will distribute prizes worth up to a total of £3000. The prize distribution will be confirmed by the Contest Steering Committee for high scoring contributions received:
Category A (personal stories or messages)
- One 1st Prize: £500
- Two 2nd Prizes: £250 (each)
- Three 3rd Prizes: £100 (each)
- Four 4th Prizes: £50 (each)
Category B (ideas or strategies)
- One 1st Prize: £500
- Two 2nd Prizes: £250 (each)
- Three 3rd Prizes: £100 (each)
- Four 4th Prizes: £50 (each)
Timeline
- Launch of Open Contest: 3 July 2025
- Submission deadline: 3 August 2025
- Judging: 15 to 31 August 2025
- Winners’ notifications: Before end of September 2025
Submission platform
When you are ready, please submit here: .
If you are unable to submit using the link above, you may instead submit via Email: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk or WhatsApp: 078 9515 3469.
Reviews and follow-up
A panel of judges will mark your contribution and assign a score (1-10) based on the following scoring criteria:
- Relevance to the project - How well your contribution fits with the goal of this contest. We are looking for contributions that can help more pregnant women from diverse backgrounds consider vaccinations.
- Authenticity - How ‘genuine’ and ‘sincere’ your contribution seems. How does this appear authentic and relevant to local pregnant women?
- Impact - The persuasiveness of the story or message and its ability to influence decisions to receive the vaccine.
- Clear description and accuracy of content - The contribution should be stand alone, the concept and main message or idea should be easy to understand by a general audience. Information about vaccinations in pregnancy should be accurate.
Please note: We are happy to offer you support with improving clarity and accuracy for your contribution. We may also be able to translate your text or add sub-titles with translations to a video, if you prefer to speak in a different language. If you are unsure if parts of your story or message are accurate, please feel free to contact us.
Please see 'Tips and help for entries' and ‘Frequently asked questions’section below.
All eligible submissions will be recognised for their participation. Each entry will be assigned scores between 1 to 10. Entries that achieve a mean score of ≥7 will be sent for a second round of reviews with detailed feedback. Judges will include midwives and experts in the field of maternal health as well as women or people with lived experience of receiving vaccines in pregnancy.
Among those who have a minimum mean score of 7/10 [as determined by the study steering committee] the prizes will be distributed according to the highest scoring contributions with the highest mean scores.
Tips and help for entries/contributions
Information about vaccinations in pregnancy
NHS information: .
Language support, technical help or accuracy checks
If you think you may need any support for your contribution, including with your language, with checking the accuracy of information or with technical issues, such as the creation or submission of audio-files or videos, please email vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk or call/text 078 9515 3469.
Submission platform
When you are ready, please submit here: .
If you are unable to submit using the link above, you may instead submit via Email: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk or WhatsApp: 078 9515 3469.
Submission deadline: 3 August 2025
Frequently asked questions
- Can I apply as an individual or a group?
You can submit an entry either as an individual that features you (and your baby/child if applicable) or as a group. If submitting on behalf of a group, you would need to confirm that all group members have agreed to this submission. If applicable, up to 4 group members would receive a certificate, and any monetary prize would be shared among group members.
- Can a friend submit a contribution on my behalf, for example, if I have technical problems or if my English writing is not so good?
Yes, this is fine, but we will ask your friend to confirm that this is your contribution and you agree to this submission.
- Can I apply as a ‘service user’ if I had my baby abroad and not in England?
Yes, you can apply if you have had your baby abroad, as long as you currently live or work in England.
- Can I apply as a ‘service provider’ if I practiced abroad and not in England?
Yes, you can apply if you have mostly work experience abroad, as long as you currently live or work in England.
- How many entries/contributions can I submit?
You can submit up to three entries/contributions. If you wish to make more than one submission, please submit each one individually. (Unless you wish to submit a photo/image in addition to a text file, which can be uploaded as part of a single submission.)
- What is my chance of winning a prize if my English is not so good, or if I am not good at writing or if I cannot film a video?
It does not matter how good your English is or whether your entry is a video. Your chance of winning prizes depends only on the scoring criteria. We would like to get testimonies from people with various backgrounds. Therefore, please let us know if you need help with anything before your submission. For example, if you wish to submit a video or audio-file, we may be able to help you with filming or recording. We may also be able to help you with translating your story.
For any questions or support, contact us via: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk or call/text 078 9515 3469.
- Can you give examples for ideas (Contest B) submissions?
We have only given examples for personal stories (Contest A) above, because we usually prefer not to give examples for creative ideas (Contest B), as it might restrict peoples’ imagination. For Contest B, please feel free to suggest what seems obvious to you, but has been neglected, or suggest innovative ideas or strategies. Please draw from your personal or professional experience and/or be creative and think out of the box!
If you have questions or really need examples to proceed, please email: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk.
- Can I change my mind about taking part?
Yes, if you change your mind after submitting your contribution/entry and wish to have your contribution/entry cancelled, please let us know via email vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk or text 078 9515 3469. (We may ask details about you or your contribution to ensure that the caller/ person who requests the cancellation is the same person who submitted the contribution.)
- What will happen to my contribution?
Your contribution may be used to improve services. For example, personal stories and messages may be used as part of the information about vaccination in pregnancy provided to pregnant women and midwives. We hope it will encourage more pregnant women, especially those from diverse backgrounds to be vaccinated against infection to protect themselves and their baby.
- Does it cost me anything to take part?
Taking part in the open contest is free of charge. Selected contributions will receive the prizes described above.
Enquiries
- Do you have a question or need help with anything?
- Please send an email to our coordinator at vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk and use the subject line: “Crowdsourcing open call”. You may also text or call 078 9515 3469.
There are several ways to get involved in the VIP Study, not only as part of the open contest, but also by sharing your thoughts during a relaxed and friendly interview with a researcher. These confidential study interviews may be held either in person, or via video or phone call. We will give participants a £20 gift voucher as a thank you for taking part.
In a first instance we are looking for the following volunteers/ participants:
a) Midwives and midwife assistants who are willing to tell us what they think about vaccinations in pregnancy, the relating services provided to pregnant women and possible ways to improve them in the future.
At a later stage of the VIP Study, we will look for the following volunteers/participants:
b) Pregnant women, who are willing to tell us what they think about the brief videos that we will develop from the personal stories/testimonies submitted during the open contest.
c) Midwives and midwife assistants who are willing to tell us what they think about the training and resources developed during the VIP Study.
For more information or other ways to get involved, email: vip-study@lshtm.ac.uk.
A lay summary of the results of the VIP Study will become available here once the study has been completed.
The VIP Study is partly based on the results of the VIP-IDEAL study, a qualitative study published in a scientific journal in July 2023.
Access the (open access).
Please see a lay summary of the VIP-IDEAL study results below.
Short study name (acronym)
Vaccination in pregnancy - ideas, experiences and attitudes, London (VIP-IDEAL)
Who conducted this study?
The study was conducted by a research team from the app of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the University of London.
Where and when was the study conducted?
The study was conducted in South London in 2022.
Why was the study done?
The researchers wanted to find out which vaccines women were offered during pregnancy and what they thought about them. They looked at vaccines against whooping cough, flu and Covid-19.
In some areas, only few people took these vaccines during pregnancy, and the researchers wanted to find out why. They also wanted to find out how things can be improved in the future.
The researchers wanted to hear from people from different social and ethnic backgrounds. This was to ensure that the experiences and worries of different types of people living in South London are understood and considered in the future, including from those who did not get vaccines during pregnancy.
Who took part in this study?
Both healthcare service users and providers took part:
- A total of 38 pregnant or recently pregnant women
- A total of 20 service providers, including 12 midwives, 2 family doctors, 3 pharmacists and 3 other providers
What happened during the study?
The researchers conducted interviews with 31 healthcare service users and 20 providers and a group discussion with seven service users. Participants could choose whether to be interviewed over the phone, via video conferencing, or in person. The interviews lasted about 20 to 90 minutes.
With consent of participants, the interviews and group discussion were audio-recorded and analysed.
What were the overall results of the study?
The pregnant or recently pregnant women in the study said they took either all, none, or some of the vaccines. The most common vaccine they took was for whooping cough, followed by flu and only few took the Covid-19 vaccine. Some women were unsure if they were offered the vaccines, while a few others forgot them or could not get them. A few were advised against the Covid-19 vaccine by their midwives.
Many people in the study, including midwives, said that it was up to the pregnant women to do their ‘own research’ about the vaccines and then decide if they wanted them. But many women felt they did not get enough information from midwives about where and when to get the vaccines and how safe and important they are. So they looked for information elsewhere, including online and on social media with the risk of getting wrong information. This made them more worried about vaccine side effects, especially for Covid-19.
Not just the pregnant women, but also some of the healthcare workers were confused when the government changed its advice in April 2021 and said pregnant women should get the Covid-19 vaccines. Some participants found that healthcare workers themselves did not have enough information about the vaccines and needed more training. Many participants found that we need more research to find out if new vaccines have any long-term effects on pregnant women or their babies. Many healthcare workers said that they did not have enough time to discuss vaccines with pregnant women.
Some also said that the computer systems were not good for reminding people about vaccines and keeping track of who got them or what was discussed. Most pregnant women were told about a pregnancy app, but were not told how to use it and did not know it had information about vaccines. Some pregnant women preferred to have information on paper instead of using apps. Some participants also spoke about language problems.
Overall, many participants talked about how the healthcare was organised and how that affected the decisions pregnant women made about vaccines and how to get them. Some participants also discussed where vaccines should be offered, and a few suggested that more vaccines should be offered in pharmacies. Many participants had ideas on how to make things better, for example, giving pregnant women more personalised information in different languages.
How has this study helped patients and researchers?
During the quite long interviews participants from different ethnic backgrounds were able to share their experiences and thoughts on vaccinations in pregnancy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Not everyone thinks the same, and the people who took part in the study might be different from others. We noticed, for example, that the midwives who took part were more pro vaccine than some of the midwives mentioned by the pregnant women. Nevertheless, it was very helpful to hear from both sides, including service providers and clients.
The information from this study can help researchers to improve health programmes with the help of healthcare providers and the public. It might also influence decisions about new vaccines that might become available in the future.
Who funded and approved this study?
The VIP-IDEAL study was funded by the Wellcome Trust (a charitable foundation with focus on health research) through an LSHTM Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) Pump Priming Grant (Wellcome ISSF Pump Priming Grant reference: 204928/Z/16/Z). Two of the authors (Sandra Mounier-Jack and Oyinkansola Ojo-aromokudu) were supported by the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Vaccines and Immunisation at LSHTM in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
We obtained approval for the study from the NHS Health Research Authority, the London - South East NHS Research Ethics Committee and the LSHTM Research Ethics Committee.”
Where can I learn more about this study?
You can access the .
Thank you!
We would like to thank all participants again for taking part in this study. We would also like to thank the NIHR Clinical Research Network for helping us with participant recruitment and the Wellcome Trust (a charity) for funding this study.
Please note that the views given here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders or sponsor of the study. This summary was written on 21 July 2023. It includes only results from one single study. Other current or future studies may find different results.
Funding for the VIP Study by an NIHR Programme Development Grant has been confirmed and the study set-up phase has begun.