Publication

Individual- and Community-level Determinants of Child Immunization in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Multilevel Analysis

Authored by:

Acharya P., Kismul H., Mapatano, M.A., et al.

Full Citation:

Acharya P., Kismul H., Mapatano, M.A., et al. 2018. Individual- and Community-level Determinants of Child Immunization in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Multilevel Analysis. PLOS One. 13(8).

View Publication

Additional key concepts from this publication:

Children of less educated parents are less likely to have complete or timely immunizations.

Key Evidence: Children of mothers with secondary education or higher were significantly more likely to be fully immunized than children of mothers with lower levels of educational attainment.

From the VoICE editors: Data was collected in the Democratic Republic of Congo from a cross-sectional survey (the Demographic and Health Survey) and analyzed in the aggregate. However, the authors note high variation in coverage across localities.

Significant evidence of geographic inequity in vaccine coverage exists within countries, within states, and between populations living in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas.

Key Evidence: Full immunization coverage, within the Democratic Republic of Congo, varies drastically by region. In the province with the lowest coverage, approximately 5% of children were fully immunized, while in the province with highest coverage, over 70% of children were fully immunized.

Families who access the health system for non-vaccine services are more likely to have fully immunized children. Non-vaccine related healthcare encounters serve as opportunities to vaccinate children.

Key Evidence: Communities with higher rates of health services utilization, particularly institutional childbirth, were more likely to have higher immunization coverage rates.

From the VoICE editors: This data, from a study in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.36.