Do household structure and household economic resources predict childhood immunization? Evidence from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago

This study assesses the influence of household structure and resource dilution characteristics on children's immunization coverage in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The study has three objectives: (1) to compare the impact of different types of household structures (e.g., single parent, two-parent, cohabiting and extended) on child immunization; (2) to examine the effects of household income and resource dilution on child immunization; and (3) to determine whether household structure and resource dilution interact to affect child immunization in these contexts. We use data from the Jamaica 1996 and Trinidad and Tobago 1997 Living Standards Measurement Study Survey and a series of logistic regression models to test hypotheses derived from the current child well-being literature. The results show that household income and household structures selectively predict children's immunization coverage in both contexts, with significant interaction effects enhancing the interpretation for Jamaica. The key policy implications that emerge from this study are that household structure and income are crucial for understanding child immunization in the Caribbean.