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