A hospital-based cross-sectional study for assessment of immunization status of children in western Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Background: Immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases is a fundamental right of children and a way to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity; thus, it is a way to improve the health of the community. Delayed vaccination increases the susceptibility of a child to vaccine-preventable diseases and also affects herd immunity. So this study was undertaken to assess the immunization status of children attending a tertiary care hospital that caters to urban as well as rural populations, focusing on the timeliness of vaccination, and to explore the predictors of vaccination delay. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 302 immunization attendees of 12–23 months of age in the immunization outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital. Parents were interviewed, and vaccination dates were obtained from vaccination cards and assessed for vaccination delay. Results: From a total of 302 children of age 12 to 23 months who enrolled in the study, 165 (54.64%) children were vaccinated on time and 137 (45.36%) children had vaccination delays. When assessing vaccination delay, 24 (7.95%), 44 (14.57%), and 118 (39.07%) children were found to have vaccination delay for Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), pentavalent vaccine (PENTA1), and magnetic resonance imaging (MR1), respectively. Out of them, 49 (16.22%) children had vaccination delay for more than one vaccine. Age at first pregnancy, place of delivery, gender, birth order, and birth weight of the child were found to be statistically significant for delayed vaccination. Conclusion: Delays in vaccination can be addressed by offering mobile vaccination clinic facilities to migrant people as well as raising community knowledge about the importance of timely child vaccination through the targeted approach: Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities.