Publication

Delayed vaccination and its predictors among children under 2 years in India: Insights from the national family survey-4

Authored by:

Choudhary TS, Reddy NS, Apte A et al.

Full Citation:

Choudhary TS, Reddy NS, Apte A et al. 2019. Delayed vaccination and its predictors among children under 2 years in India: Insights from the national family survey-4. Vaccine. 37(17).

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Additional key concepts from this publication:

Studies have shown that maternal education is significantly associated with immunization coverage for themselves and for their children.

Key Evidence: A study of delayed vaccination in India found that children whose mothers had no formal education were 37-81% more likely to have delayed vaccinations than children of mothers with 12 or more years of schooling [depending on the vaccine]. Children whose mothers had a primary school eduction fared only slightly better with 33-62% greater odds of getting their vaccination late, when compared to those with highly educated mothers.

From the VoICE Editors: Data in this analysis was from the National Family and Health Survey 4.

Children living in poverty are less likely to receive their vaccines on time, increasing their vulnerability to infections.

Key Evidence: Indian children in households from the lowest wealth quintile were 30-95% more likely to be delayed in their vaccinations than those from the wealthiest households [depending on the vaccine]. Delayed vaccination increases the window of susceptibility to vaccine preventable diseases and can lead to outbreaks.

From the VoICE Editors: Data in this analysis was from the National Family and Health Survey 4.

Children born to mothers who received health care services during pregnancy and/or delivery have higher vaccination rates than children whose mothers received less or no care.

Key Evidence: In India, children whose mothers received tetanus vaccination during their pregnancy were 22-31% less likely to have delayed vaccination (depending on the vaccine) than children of unvaccinated mothers. Those born at home were nearly 3 times more likely to receive BCG vaccination late and 41% more likely to receive their first dose of DTP late than those born in a public health facility.