Prevalence of incomplete immunization and associated factors among children aged 12-23 in Konta special woreda, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective and widely applied public health intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality among children and it will become more effective if the child can receive full course of recommended immunization doses. However, due to various reasons many fail to complete the full course of immunization. For instance, a total of 1109 measles cases and about 87 deaths were reported in the study area majorly among under 5 children in 2015-2016. Objective: - The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and to identify factors associated with incomplete vaccinations among children 12-23 months of age in Konta special woreda, southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted. First kebeles were stratified into urban and rural strata. Then, probability proportional to size sampling (PPS) technique for selection of rural kebeles and simple random for urban was applied. Finally, simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants. Data on 386 children (from 9 rural and 1 urban kebeles) aged 12–23 months’ were collected by a pre-tested, interviewer administered questionnaire using trained nurses in Konta special district, Southern Ethiopia from February to April 2016. EpiData version 3.1 was used to enter data and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to check for an association and to identify independent predictors of vaccination status of children respectively. Those variables with p-value < 0.05 were considered as significantly associated with the outcome variable. Results: - The prevalence of incomplete immunization was 27.2% among children aged 12-23 months in Konta special district. Incomplete immunization was found less likely to happen in those household having 3 or more children (AOR=0.123, 95%CI:0.060-0.252) whereas more likely to occur in those children of mothers not attending ANC(AOR=2.11, 95%CI:0.108- 0.293), not taking TT vaccination(AOR=2.31,95%CI:1.331-6.025), giving birth at home (AOR=3.42,95%CI: 1.064-2.042), not knowing the benefit of vaccination (AOR=1.25,95%CI: 0.158- 0.411), lack of knowledge about the age at which vaccination begin (AOR=1.40, 95% CI: 1.325- 5.822) compared to the reference categories. Conclusions:- Maternal health service related factors like antenatal care, TT vaccination, place of delivery, number of children in the household, and knowledge related factors like not knowing the benefit of vaccination, age at which vaccination begins were independent predictors of incomplete vaccination. So mothers should be educated on utilization of maternal health services and awareness creation to improve knowledge which in turns increases the immunization status among children.