Knowledge and Attitude of Rural Mothers toward Vaccination of Children under Five Years in Duhok Province

Abstract

Abstract Background: Healthcare provision strategies show that disease prevention is always better than treatment. It is undeniable that vaccines have been an essential part of preventive measures based on their success in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases in the developed world. Objectives: The purpose of the study is to assess rural mothers’ knowledge and attitudes toward vaccinations of under five children. Additionally, determine how their demographic characteristics interrelate to such knowledge and attitude. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was established to research (500) rural mothers from November 2016 to November 2017, the sample for the current study was chosen using multi-stage sampling (cluster-simple random selection). Through a direct interview-based questionnaire, information on rural mothers was gathered, including information about their sociodemographic traits as well as information about their knowledge of and attitudes regarding the immunization of their children who are under five. Two approaches were adopted, descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the acquired study-related data. Results: Nearly half the mothers (49%) had fair knowledge, and (46.2%) of them had a neutral attitude toward their under-five children’s vaccination. Conclusion: This study concluded that in Duhok Province rural mothers were at an equal distance from the extremities level related to mothers’ knowledge and attitude toward under-five years immunization.