Vaccination Status of Children (Under 5 Years) and Parents Perceptions in District Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

OBJECTIVES The overarching aim of this study was to identify the vaccination status of children under five years of age and parents’ perceptions regarding vaccination in district Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional survey was carried out between April 1, 2017, to May 31, 2017, in Union Council Ganjano Kaley of district Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Ethics approval was obtained from the IRB of District Headquarter hospital, Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Data were collected from the parents of these 100 children through an adapted questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the variables using SPSS version 20. RESULTS Out of 100 children, 43% were males and 57% were females. Among these, 18% were living in nuclear families while 82% were living in combined families. 77% of participants had immunization cards with them, while 23% had no immunization cards. Regarding immunization status, 80% of children were fully immunized, 19% were partially immunized and 1% were not immunized. CONCLUSION The overall immunization coverage rate was satisfactory. Parents showed confidence in the public sector vaccination services. In view of population expansion, more vaccinators need to be employed to achieve effective and sustainable vaccination coverage.