Determinants of Full Child Immunization; Evidence from Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Immunization is one of the main health interventions to prevent childhood morbidity and mortality. The health of under 5 children has been a major problem in developing countries like Ethiopia. Immunization will become more effective if the child receive the full course of recommended immunization doses. Objective: The main objective of this study is to statistically identify and analyze the various possible determinants of full immunization among children in rural and urban households of SNNPRS, Ethiopia. Design: The sampling technique employed was multistage stratified cluster sampling. Results: Analysis of the study revealed that only 18.3% of children under 5 years of age are fully immunized in the region. Results of the multiple binary logistic regression show that place of residence, age of the child, educational status of mothers, access to media and place of child delivery are the most important determinant factors affecting full child immunization (p-value<5%) in the region. It is observed that children living in rural parts of the region whose community is usually facing shortage of basic services like education, access to media and health services are at higher risk of complete immunization. Conclusion: Primary health care and education programs which would fit the features of the region should be designed and implemented to safeguard children from immunization deficiency.