RESUMEN
AIM: To investigate factors associated with caregiver failure to complete immunizations for their children in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with 50 cases defined as caregivers who failed to immunize their children and 179 controls defined as caregivers of children who were properly immunized. The cases were caregivers of children who were randomly selected from clinic records of children who failed to complete their immunization within the study period. Controls were caregivers of children who were identified to have completed their immunization from a similar list. Cases and controls were visited at home and interviewed using a validated questionnaire. Cases and controls were compared in terms of socio-demographic, economic and other variables. RESULTS: Participants with less than secondary school education were more likely to be non-compliant (odds ratio [OR], 2.51, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 - 5.97), while participants who were aware of legislation against non-compliance with immunization (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17, 0.69) were less likely to fail to immunize their children. CONCLUSION: Policy-makers and programme managers need to use established educational and communication channels to increase awareness of childhood immunization especially among families with lower educational levels in the parish.
OBJETIVO: Investigar los factores asociados con el fracaso de los encargados del cuidado infantil en cuanto a garantizar la completa inmunización de los niños en la Parroquia de Saint Mary, Jamaica. MÉTODOS: Se llevó a cabo un estudio de caso-control con 50 casos definidos como encargados de cuidado infantil que dejaron de hacer inmunizar a sus niños y 179 controles definidos como encargados del cuidado de niños que fueron debidamente inmunizados. Los casos eran cuidadores de niños que fueron seleccionados de forma aleatoria a partir de las historias clínicas de niños que no completaron su inmunización dentro del periodo de estudio. Por el contrario, en el caso de los controles se trataba de encargados del cuidado de niños identificados por haber completado su inmunización a partir de una lista similar. Tanto los casos como los controles recibieron una visita en sus casas, y fueron entrevistados usando una encuesta validada. Ambos - casos y controles - fueron comparados en términos de sus aspectos socio-demográficos y económicos, así como otras variables. RESULTADOS: Los participantes con un nivel de escolaridad por debajo de la enseñanza secundaria presentaron una mayor probabilidad de ser incumplidores (odds ratio [OR], 2.51, 95% intervalo de confianza [IC], 1.06 - 5.97), mientras que los participantes que sabían de la legislación contra el incumplimiento de la inmunización (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17 - 0.69) presentaron una menor probabilidad de dejar de inmunizar a sus niños. CONCLUSIÓN: Los encargados de trazar políticas y los administradores de programas necesitan usar los canales de comunicación y educación - sobre todo entre las familias con nivel educacional más bajo - con el propósito de lograr una mayor concientización en torno a la necesidad de inmunizar a todos los niños de la parroquia.
Asunto(s)
Adulto , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Adulto Joven , Cuidadores , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Inmunización , Padres , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Escolaridad , Inmunización/legislación & jurisprudencia , Inmunización/estadística & datos numéricos , Jamaica , Oportunidad RelativaRESUMEN
AIM: To investigate factors associated with caregiver failure to complete immunizations for their children in the parish of St. Mary, Jamaica. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with 50 cases defined as caregivers who failed to immunize their children and 179 controls defined as caregivers of children who were properly immunized. The cases were caregivers of children who were randomly selected from clinic records of children who failed to complete their immunization within the study period. Controls were caregivers of children who were identified to have completed their immunization from a similar list. Cases and controls were visited at home and interviewed using a validated questionnaire. Cases and controls were compared in terms of socio-demographic, economic and other variables. RESULTS: Participants with less than secondary school education were more likely to be non-compliant (odds ratio [OR], 2.51, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06- 5.97), while participants who were aware of legislation against non-compliance with immunization (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17, 0.69) were less likely to fail to immunize their children. CONCLUSION: Policy-makers and programme managers need to use established educational and communication channels to increase awareness of childhood immunization especially among families with lower educational levels in the parish.