Document Type
Article
Department
Paediatrics and Child Health
Abstract
Background: In Pakistan, only 59-73% of children 12-23 months of age are fully immunized. This randomized, controlled trial was conducted to assess the impact of a low-literacy immunization promotion educational intervention for mothers living in low-income communities of Karachi on infant immunization completion rates. Methods: Three hundred and sixty-six mother-infant pairs, with infants aged Results: Baseline characteristics among the two groups were similar. At 4 month assessment, among 179 mother-infant pairs in the intervention group, 129 (72.1%) had received all 3 doses of DPT/Hepatitis B vaccine, whereas in the control group 92/178 (51.7%) had received all 3 doses. Multivariable analysis revealed a significant improvement of 39% (adjusted RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.81) in DPT-3/Hepatitis B completion rates in the intervention group. Conclusion: A simple educational intervention designed for low-literate populations, improved DPT-3/Hepatitis B vaccine completion rates by 39%. These findings have important implications for improving routine immunization rates in Pakistan.
Publication (Name of Journal)
BMC Public Health
Recommended Citation
Owais, A.,
Hanif, B.,
Siddiqui, A.,
Agha, A.,
Zaidi, A.
(2011). Does improving maternal knowledge of vaccines impact infant immunization rates? A community-based randomized-controlled trial in Karachi, Pakistan. BMC Public Health, 11, 239-239.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_women_childhealth_paediatr/66