Vaccination compliance of selected childhood immunization programs and the socio-determinant factors in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION

Adherence to full vaccination is important in preventing childhood diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of compliance to full vaccination and identify the socio-cultural factors associated with full vaccination compliance in children.

METHODOLOGY: The socioeconomic variables associated with each of the four binary dependent variables of whether or not a child is fully vaccinated against tetanus, BCG, measles, and pentavalent were determined using logistic regression.

RESULTS

While compliance to full tetanus and BCG vaccinations was > 60% at the national level, less than 50% and 10% full vaccination compliance were recorded for pentavalent and measles vaccinations, respectively. The South East region of Nigeria recorded the overall highest full vaccination compliance while the least performing region was the North West zone. The mother or guardian literacy level, employment status, antenatal care attendance, and internet usage were strong predictors of full vaccination compliance (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The socio-cultural factors associated with achieving full vaccination coverage in Nigeria in this study should drive the implementation of policies that will be best suited to each geopolitical zone of Nigeria.