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Background/aim: To evaluate the prevalence of tetanus vaccination in pregnant women and determine the factors affecting the vaccination and barriers to vaccination. Materials and methods: An observational-descriptive study was conducted on 494 women who gave birth at the Etlik Zübeyde Hanım Women's Health Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Participants were divided into 2 groups, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, and prenatal care status were compared between the 2 groups. Results: There were 242 (48.9%) and 252 (51.1%) women in the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, respectively. The vaccination rate decreased as the number of pregnancies increased (P = 0.009). As the level of income increased, there was a statistically significant increase in the vaccination rate (P = 0.048). The status of education and having an occupation did not affect the vaccination rate (P > 0.05). The vaccination rate was higher in women with regular follow-ups when compared to those who did not get a regular follow-up (76.5% vs. 38.7%) (P = 0.001). The vaccination rate was significantly higher in women who had knowledge about tetanus vaccine during pregnancy (P < 0.005). Conclusions: All pregnant women should be encouraged to get regular antenatal care to increase vaccination rates. Health care providers should give all pregnant women detailed information about the safety, effectivity, and benefits of vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]