Determinants of childhood vaccination completion at a peri-urban hospital in Kenya, December 2013 - January 2014: a case control study

Introduction: vaccine preventable diseases account for about 17% of deaths among children below five years in Kenya. Immunization is one the most cost-effective ways of reducing child mortality and morbidity worldwide. In Kenya, national full vaccination coverage today stands at above 80 %. However there continue to be pockets of low full vaccination coverage like the catchment area of Alupe Sub-District Hospital which pose a threat to the rest of the country. Methods: this was a case-control study at Alupe Sub-District Hospital, Western Kenya. Sixty one (61) cases and 122 controls were sampled from the facility maternal and child health register by systematic random sampling and traced to their households. Cases were defined as children 12-23 months resident in Kenya who received at least one infant vaccine at the facility but were not fully vaccinated at the time of the study, while controls were children 12-23 months who were fully vaccinated by the time of the study. Pretested structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Data entry and analysis was done using Epi-Info 3.5.4 statistical software. Results: independent determinants of infant vaccination completion were the child's age < 18 months (AOR 4.2(1.8-9.6), p<0.01), maternal age < 25 years (AOR 2.5 (1.1-5.0), p=0.03), maternal tetanus toxoid vaccination status < 2 TT doses (AOR 2.5 (1.2-5.4), p<0.02) and late receipt of BCG [AOR 3.2(1.4-7.3), p=0.005). Conclusion: strategies to increase full vaccination should target young mothers especially during antenatal period.