Assessment of Status, Awareness, and Attitude Associated with Childhood Immunization in Delhi – NCR, India

Abstract

Introduction: Immunization is a preventive measure that reduces the occurrence of diseases and child mortality rate. India has made significant progress in this area and continuous efforts are being made to promote a large-scale immunization process for several life-threatening diseases. Aim: Our study was aimed at finding out the immunization coverage and awareness, among mothers, in Delhi – NCR through a sample of 400 respondents. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted through questionnaire-cum-interview and snowball sampling method and included 400 respondents who were mothers having at least one child below 6 years of age. Results: We found that a large percentage of respondents (97.25%) had immunized their children for the recommended vaccines. Mother’s education and occupation were the major influencing forces, with educated and professionally working mothers fairing better, highlighting the importance of female literacy. The full immunization coverage for all five vaccines was 69.27%. Hospitals and doctors were the major sources of information (55.5%) about immunization and more than half of the respondents (55.25%) got their children immunized in government hospitals. Gender of child and economic status of the family were not significant factors affecting immunization. The major factors for not immunizing or delaying the immunization of children were lack of motivation and the busy routine of parents. Conclusion: Female literacy is a major factor influencing immunization success, it should be targeted and not only awareness campaigns but also incentive-based strategies should be employed to create awareness and encourage parents. Complete and timely vaccination of children can protect them from grave diseases and also stop outbreaks of many diseases.