Magnitude and Associated Factors of Delayed Immunization Among Children Aged 11 -23 Months in Edagahamus Town, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2018.
Abstract Background: Delayed immunization is a major public health problem that is associated with vaccine-preventable disease epidemics. In Ethiopia, many children don’t receive the benefits of age-appropriate immunization; thus more than 90% of child deaths are largely due to preventable communicable diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study to assess the magnitude and factors associated with delayed immunization among 12 -23 months old children in Edagahamus Town, Tigray, Ethiopia, and 2018 G.C. Methods: A community-based Cross-Sectional study was carried out on July1-30, 2018. A simple random sampling method was used to select study participants. Information was collected using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire. The date of vaccinations was obtained from children’s immunization cards and timeliness assessed based on the recommended age ranges. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Variable with P-value < 0.2 in bivariate was exported to multivariate. The strength of association was identified using the odds ratio with a 95 % confidence interval (CI) and the P-value of <0.05 in multivariate was taken statistically significant. Results: In this study, the overall magnitude of delayed immunization was 29.5% (95%CI 26.7-45). Private firm work of mothers (AOR=0.205 95% CI 0.068-0.617), Mothers who attend tertiary education (AOR 0.169, 95% CI 0.032-0.882), and secondary education (AOR 0.269, 95% CI 0.114-0.636) had the protective effect of delayed immunization. But sickness of a child (AOR= 11.8, 95% CI 6.16-22.65) was a risk for delayed immunization. Conclusions: From the study, it is concluded that the magnitude of delayed immunization for children aged 12-23 months is high (29.5%) in Edagahamus. Delayed immunizations of children were predicted by the Mother's occupation, education, and Mother’s consideration in the child’s wellness to take the vaccine.