INDIVIDUAL AND CONTEXTUAL LEVEL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INITIATION, COMPLETION AND UP TO DATE VACCINATION IN ROUTINE IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMS: AN ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEYS, 1990 AND 2006
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Date
2014-02-04
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
Introduction
Pakistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates at 78 deaths per 1000 live births per year; one in every eleven children born in Pakistan dies before his or her fifth birthday. Timely and complete vaccination is a proven and highly cost effective public health intervention to reduce death and disability, especially in children. Among other causes, vaccine preventable infectious diseases are a significant contributor to child mortality in Pakistan.
Study methods
We assessed the association of contextual and individual level characteristics, using Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) data, with the initiation, completion and up to date (UTD) immunization for children 12 to 23 months old in Pakistan. The contextual level characteristics included province of residence, rural or urban place of residence and whether the child was issued a health card by the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) staff. The individual level determinants included the household wealth index, gender of the head of the household, maternal age, maternal education and ethnicity, gender and birth order of child and number of children under five years of age in the household. Design based analysis was carried out to account for the complex survey design of the Pakistan DHS 2006 and 1990 datasets. Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed the independent association of individual, household and contextual variables with initiation and completion of vaccination for the routine immunization schedule of children aged 12 to 23 months. Following unadjusted analysis, the independent effect estimates were assessed along with biological plausibility to select variables for adjusted multivariable logistic regression analysis. Confounding of variables was measured through stratified analysis. Interaction terms were included in the final model to assess their interactive effect but there were no statistically significant interactive effects of the variables in the final models. Chi-square goodness of fit was used to compare appropriateness between different models.
Results
The results of the analysis of the PDHS 2006 showed the household wealth index and maternal education as statistically significant factors with vaccination initiation. Children in the richest household wealth index were more likely to initiate vaccination compared to children in the poorest wealth quintile. Similarly, children whose mothers had higher education were more likely to initiate vaccination. In 1990, maternal education was significantly associated with vaccination initiation but mothers with primary education did not behave differently from mothers with no education. Also household wealth was statistically significant; children in the richest wealth quintile had ten times higher odds of vaccination initiation compered to children in the poorest quintile. In 1990 province of residence was a significant predictor of vaccination initiation only in the province of Sindh.
In the PDHS 2006 data analysis, having a vaccination card and mothers’ education were statistically significantly associated with vaccination schedule completion. In the PDHS 1990 analysis, the wealth index and maternal age were found to have a significant association with vaccination schedule completion. Between 1990 and 2006 immunization coverage improved significantly only among the middle wealth quintile with little improvement in households in the poorest and poor wealth quintiles. Having a health/immunization card was significantly associated with vaccination completion in both 1990 and 2006 and it was the only predictor of up to date immunization in the PDHS 2006 analysis. The children for whom the card was seen at the time of the interview were 21 times more likely to be UTD compared to children who were never issued a health card. The interaction terms of possession of health/immunization card, wealth index, and maternal education were not statistically significant.
Discussion
Although position in a higher wealth quintile and mothers’ higher education are individual level characteristics, these associations may also suggest that the health care system is geared to cater to the needs of the population with better access to sources of income and human development. The government should increase its efforts to reach marginal populations with limited financial resources and access to social services like education, better transport and mass media. Once the health care system aims for equitable access of health care services, then even children in lower wealth quintiles are more likely to complete their vaccination schedule.
Increasing female literacy is crucial for improving the health of the population and thus reducing infant and under-five mortality. The government has strengthened its efforts to increase female enrollment and keep girls in school beyond primary level but it also needs to focus on the quality of education provided to these girls. The odds of immunization initiation and completion were similar for mothers with up to primary education and those without a formal education; therefore while girls are enrolled in primary school every effort should be made to educate them about health and benefits of preventive health services. It is recommended that the primary school curriculum needs to be updated to address the significance and effect of immunization.
Possession of a health card and seen at the time of the interview is a measure of maternal attitudes and understanding towards the importance of immunization completion but it is also the single most significant factor predicting vaccination completion. But in our sample only 13% of the mothers in 2006 were able to show the household held immunization record at the time of the interview and a quarter of children initiating the immunization schedule were never issued an immunization card according to the mothers’ reports. The EPI program must invest in digitalization of immunization and health records for children. The importance of a health card in vaccination schedule completion has been documented in other parts of the world, including Pakistan. Therefore until digital immunization records are widespread, the EPI program must make provision of waterproof, tear resistant and easily stored immunization cards to each and every child initiating the schedule. Also cards that have a better system of reminding mothers of the vaccine due dates are highly recommended to improve immunization completion, especially among mothers who do not have access to electronic reminder systems like cell phones and those who lack education. The EPI program needs to evaluate its performance on more stringent criteria. Instead of just reporting DTP 1 and 3 among children 12-23 months of age, it should also monitor Up to date (UTD) immunization status of children 52 weeks of age. Although vaccination and immunization programs are in their fourth decade of global introduction, there still is a need to create a social value for immunization to reap the maximum benefits of the vaccines on the health of children and the general population.
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Keywords
Immunization, Vaccine uptake, Pakistan, DHS, Child Health, Contextual factors,