Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding immunization among parents with children in the age group 12 to 24 months
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20232050Keywords:
Immunization, Vaccine, Vaccine preventable diseasesAbstract
Background: Immunization is one of the most indispensable community-based health interventions with unquestionable ability to improve a nation’s health status. In spite of evidences about the effectiveness of vaccines, millions of children around the world are lagging behind exposing them and their community to a risk of epidemics. Despite efforts taken to improve vaccination coverage, India has only succeeded in achieving 65% coverage in childhood immunization. We aim to determine parental knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding childhood immunization.
Methods: It is a questionnaire-based observational study involving 95 parents with children aged 12 to 24 months, conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Tamil Nadu.
Results: Ninety children have been completely immunized according to age. Nearly 60% children did not receive vaccinations according to prescribed schedule. More than half parents believed that vaccines are efficient in preventing diseases, which was statistically associated with education of parents. Although there is a good immunization coverage in our locality, 17.89% parents still doubt the safety of vaccines and one-fifth of respondents had misapprehensions that vaccines may cause long-term consequences in children.
Conclusions: We found that multiple factors play a role in determining the immunization status of the population, including sociodemographic characteristics, level of knowledge and attitudes towards immunization. Therefore, improving knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding immunization among parents is one of the key initiatives towards building a disease-free nation.
References
WHO. Vaccines. Available at: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization#. Accessed 23 May 2022.
WHO. Vaccines and Immunization. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization#. Accessed 29 May 2022.
Vashishtha VM, Kumar P. 50 years of immunization in India: progress and future. Indian Pediatr. 2013;50(1):111–8.
WHO. Immunization coverage, 2019. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/immunization-coverage. Accessed 13 June 2022.
Shet A, Dhaliwal B, Banerjee P, DeLuca A, Carr K, Britto C, et al. Childhood immunisations in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2021;5:e001061.
Takahashi S, Metcalf CJE, Ferrari MJ, Moss WJ, Truelove SA, Tatem AJ, et al. Reduced vaccination and the risk of measles and other childhood infections post-Ebola. Sci. 2015;347(6227):1240-2.
Masoud AT, Zaazouee MS, Elsayed SM, Ragab KM, Kamal EM, Alnasser YT, et al. KAP-COVIDGLOBAL: a multinational survey of the levels and determinants of public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19. BMJ Open. 2021;11(2):e043971.
Paswan K, Singh SK, Lhungdim H, Shekhar C, Arnold F, Kishor S, et al. National Family Health Survey (NFSH-4) 2015-16. Available at: http://rchiips.org/NFHS/NFHS-4Reports/India.pdf. Accessed 05 June 2022
Singh CM, Mishra A, Agarwal N, Mishra S, Lohani P, Ayub A. Immunization coverage among children aged 12-23 months: A cross sectional study in low performing blocks of Bihar, India. J Family Med Prim Care. 2019;8(12):3949-55.
WHO. Guidance on routine immunization services during COVID-19 pandemic in the WHO European Region. 2021, Available at: https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/communicable-diseases/hepatitis/publications/2020/guidance-on-routine-immunization-services-during-covid-19-pandemic-in-the-who-european-region-20-march-2020-produced-by-whoeurope. Accessed 10 June 2022
Bramer CA, Kimmins LM, Swanson R, Kuo J, Vranesich P, Jacques-Carroll LA, et al. Decline in child vaccination coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic - Michigan care improvement registry, May 2016-May 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69:630-1.
WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/15-07-2021-covid-19-pandemic-leads-to-major-backsliding-on-childhood-vaccinations-new-who-unicef-data-shows. Accessed 27 June 2022
Baghdadi LR, Younis A, Al Suwaidan HI, Kuo J, Vranesich P, Jacques-Carroll LA, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on routine childhood immunization: A Saudi Nationwide cross-sectional study. Front Pediatr. 2021;9:692877.
Rana MS, Ikram A, Salman M, Usman M, Umair M. Negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine childhood immunization: experience from Pakistan. Nat Rev Immunol. 2021;21(11):689-90.
Fad KH, Ibrahim AA, Dldoom MMB, Ahmed ZOH. Knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers with children less than five years toward vaccination in khartoum state-ummbada locality-allbugaa-2017. Nurs Palliat Care. 2019;4.
GebreEyesus FA, Tarekegn TT, Amlak BT, Shiferaw BZ, Emeria MS, Geleta OT, et al. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Parents About Immunization of Infants and Its Associated Factors in Wadla Woreda, North East Ethiopia, 2019. Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2021;12:223-38.
Al-Zahrani J. Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents towards childhood vaccination. Majmaah J Heal Sci. 2013;1(1).
Dativah T. Knowledge, attitude and practices of caretakers regarding immunization uptake in katikamwe parish, Bushenyi district. Bachelors in Nursing. 2016.
Verulava T, Jaiani M, Lordkipanidze A, Jorbenadze R, Dangadze B. Mothers’ knowledge and attitudes towards child immunization in Georgia. Open Public Health J. 2019;12:232-7.
Bofarraj MAM. Knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding immunization of infants and preschool children at Al-Beida City, Libya. Egypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2011;9(1):29-34.
Adefolalu OA, Kanma Okafor OJ, Balogun M. Maternal knowledge, attitude, and compliance regarding immunization of under-five children in primary health care centers in Ikorodu Local Government Area, Lagos State. J Clin Sc. 2019;16(1):7-14.
Almutairi WM, Alsharif F, Khamis F, Sallam LA, Sharif L, Alsufyani A, et al. Assessment of mothers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding childhood vaccination during the first five years of life in Saudi Arabia. Nurs Rep. 2021;11(3):506–16.
Mohammed M, & Al-Zahrani A. Knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers toward children’s vaccination at Alfatih One in Sudan. Open J Nurs. 2021;11(7):557-65.
Herath NC, Kudagammana T, Sanathchandra TT, Gamage HK, Razik IM, Liynapathirana V. Brief report: Parental attitudes and knowledge on routine childhood immunization: an experience from Central Sri Lanka. BMC Res Notes 2018; 11(1):402.
Kumar P, Kavinprasad M. A study to assess the parent’s knowledge and attitudes on childhood immunization. Int J Commu Med Public Health. 2018;5(11):4845-8.
Zuzak TJ, Zuzak-Siegrist I, Rist L, Staubli G, Wust APS. Attitudes towards vaccination: users of complementary and alternative medicine versus non-users. Swiss Med Wkly. 2008;138(47-48):713–8.
Gerber JS, Offit PA. Vaccines and autism: a tale of shifting hypotheses. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;1548(4):456-61.
Hviid A, Hansen JV, Frisch M, Melbye M. Measles, mumps, rubella vaccination and autism: a nationwide cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2019;170(8):513–20.
Matta P, El Mouallem R, Akel M, Hallit S, Khalife MCF. Parents’ knowledge, attitude and practice towards children’s vaccination in Lebanon: role of the parent-physician communication. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1439.
Freeman MC, Garn JV, Sclar GD, Boisson S, Medlicott K, Alexander KT, et al. The impact of sanitation on infectious disease and nutritional status: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2017;220(6):928–49.
