[Vaccinal coverage at 2 years of age in a socially disadvantaged urban area].

OBJECTIVE

To assess vaccination coverage at two years of age among the children of the Old City District of Barcelona (Spain), a socially deprived urban area.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, based on a random sample of the children born in 1987.

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANTS

A random sample of children born in 1987 from mothers resident in the district.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN

RESULTS

83.8% had a vaccination card. Vaccination coverage is 68.1% for measles, mumps and rubella and 65.5% with four doses of DTP and OVP. Of these children, 16.2% were not found in the computerized City Vaccination Program, based on births records, and these children have very low immunization levels: their vaccination cover is only 42.1% for measles, mumps and rubella and 28.9% with four doses of DTP and OPV.

CONCLUSIONS

These results confirm a lower immunization coverage in this area. Although artifactual explanations for this finding have to be ruled out, these results suggest that the health indicators in this district are influenced by a concentration of population with severe problems instead of reflecting a higher diffuse frequency of problems in the whole population.