Determinants of maternal adherence to child vaccination in jordan: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

In the past few years, a significant decline in vaccination coverage has been noted, leading to measles outbreaks. Mothers’ adherence or reluctance to undergo childhood immunization is a major contributing factor to a substantial population of children who remain unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated. This study aimed to investigate adherence to children’s vaccination by investigating mothers’ personal and contextual factors in addition to knowledge and attitudes scores. A cross-sectional analytical design was employed, and data were collected from a sample of 533 mothers in Jordan between May and July 2023. The statistical analysis included descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson r correlation. The results demonstrated that adherence to vaccination was associated with several factors, including knowledge score (r = 0.33, p < 0.01), the ability to access and understand health information (r = 0.16, p < 0.01), income level (F = 11.88, p < 0.01), education level (F = 5.71, p < 0.01), employment (t = 2.41, p < 0.05), and working in a medical field (t = 4.5, p < 0.01). Scheffe post hoc analysis was performed to evaluate adherence outcomes according to the different categories of education and income levels. Mothers’ adherence to vaccination needs improvement, with special attention given to contributing factors. Strategies should be developed to target mothers with low incomes and educational levels and limited ability to access and understand health information to enhance maternal knowledge and eventually adherence to children’s vaccination.