Abstract
This paper examines the socio-economic differentials in coverage of basic childhood immunization in India and the states of Bihar and Gujarat using three rounds of National Family Health Survey data. States are selected on the basis of changes in full immunization coverage during 1992–2006. Bivariate, multivariate, and progression rate is used to understand the differentials and changes in immunization coverage. Results indicate that there has been a substantial increase in partial immunization in most of the states, but the increase in full immunization coverage is relatively slow in many of the states. Along with mother’s education, standard of living, mass media exposure, and availability of health card is a significant predictor in explaining the full immunization coverage irrespective of time.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anand, S., & Barnighausen, T. (2007). Health worker and vaccination coverage in developing countries: An econometric analysis. Lancet, 369(9569), 1277–1285.
Anwar, A. T. M. I., Killewo, J., Chowdhury, M. K., & Dasgupta, S. K. (2004). Bangladesh: Inequalities in utilization of maternal health care services: Evidence from Matlab. Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) Discussion Paper, Reaching the Poor Program Paper No. 2, Washington, DC: World Bank.
Basu, R. N. (1985). India’s immunization program. World Health Forum, 6, 35–38.
Boerma, J.T., & Bicego, G. T. (1994). The quality of data on child immunization in DHS-I surveys: An assessment of the quality of health data in DHS-I surveys. DHS Methodological Reports. Calverton, MD: Macro International and Bombay: Himalaya Publishing House.
Bronte-Tinkew, J., & Dejong, G. F. (2005). Do household structure and household economic resources predict childhood immunization? Evidence from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Population Research and Policy Review, 24, 27–57.
Brown, J., Monasch, R., Bicego, G., Burton, A., & Boerma, J. T. (2002) An assessment of the quality of national child immunization coverage estimates in population-based surveys. MEASURE Evaluation Working Paper WP-02-53. Chapel Hill, NC; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Brugha, R., Starling, M., & Walt, G. (2002). GAVI, the first steps: Lessons for the Global Fund. Lancet, 359, 435–438.
Carr, D. (2004). Health Bulletin Number 1: Improving the health of the world’s poorest people. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau.
Christopher, J. L., Murray, B. S., Gupta, N., Moueeavi, S., Tandon, A., & Thiren, M. (2003). Validity of reported vaccination coverage in 45 countries. Lancet, 362(9389), 1022–1027.
Collin, S. M., Anwar, I., & Rosmans, C. (2007). A decade of inequality in maternity care: Antenatal care, professional attendance at delivery, and caesarean section in Bangladesh (1991–2004). International Journal of Equity in Health, 6(9), 1–9.
Desai, S., & Alva, S. (1998). Maternal education and child health: Is there a strong causal relationship? Demography, 35(1), 71–81.
Gage, A. J., Sommerfelt, A. E., & Piani, A. L. (1997). Household structure and childhood immunization in Niger and Nigeria. Demography, 34(2), 295–309.
Gareaballah, E. T., & Loevinsohn, B. P. (1989). The accuracy of mother’s reports about their children’s vaccination status. Bulletin of World Health Organization, 67, 669–674.
Gauri, V., & Khaleghian, P. (2002). Immunization in developing countries: Its political and organizational determinants. World Development, 30(12), 2109–2132.
Gore, P., Madhavan, S., Curry, D., Mcclung, G., Castiglia, M., Rosenbluth, S. A., et al. (1999). Predictors of childhood immunization completion in a rural population. Social Science and Medicine, 48, 1011–1027.
Gwatkin, D. (2000). Health inequalities and the health of the poor: What do we know? What can we do? Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 78(1), 3–17.
Gwatkin, D., Rutstein, S., Johnson, K., Pande, R., & Wagstaff, A. (2000). Socio-economic differences in health, nutrition and population: An overview. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Hardon, A., & Blume, S. (2005). Shifts in global immunization goals (1984–2004): Unfinished agenda and mixed results. Social Science and Medicine, 60, 345–356.
Hawe, P., Wilson, A., Fahey, P., Field, P., Cunningham, A. L., Baker, M., et al. (1991). The validity of parental report of vaccination as a measure of a child immunizations status. Medical Journal of Australia, 155, 681–686.
Hill, K., & Upchurch, D. (1995). Gender differences in child health: Evidence from the demographic and health surveys. Population and Development Review, 21(1), 127–151.
Ibnouf, A. H., Van Den Borne, H. W., & Maarse, J. A. M. (2007). Factors influencing immunisation coverage among children under five years of age in Khartoum State, Sudan. South African Family Practice, 49(8), 14.
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) & Macro International. (2007). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 2005–06: India: Volume I. Mumbai.
Jolly, R. (2004). Global development goals: The United Nations experience. Journal of Human Development, 5, 69–95.
Kakwani, N., Wagstaff, A., & Van Doorslaer, E. (1997). Socioeconomic inequalities in health: Measurement, computation and statistical inference. Journal of Econometrics, 77(1), 87–104.
Kanitkar, T. (1979). Development of maternal and child health services in India. In K. Srinivasan, P. Saxena, & T. Kanitkar (Eds.), Demographic and socio-economic aspects of the child in India. Bombay: Himalaya Publishing House.
Keja, K., Chan, C., Hayden, G., & Henderson, R. H. (1988). Expanded programme on immunization. World Health Statistical Quarterly, 41, 59–63.
Kunst, A. E., & Houweling, T. (2001). A global picture of poor-rich differences in the utilization of delivery care. Studies in Health Services Organisation and Policy, 17, 297–315.
Langsten, R., & Hill, K. (1998). The accuracy of mother’s reports of child vaccination: Evidences from rural Egypt. Social Science and Medicine, 46(9), 1205–1212.
Lopez, A. D., Mathers, C. D., Ezzati, M., Jamson, D. T., & Murry, C. J. L. (2006). Global burden of diseases and risk factors. New York: Oxford University Press and the World Bank.
McKinney, P. A., Alexander, F. E., Nicholson, C., Cartwright, R. A., & Carrette, J. (1991). Mother’s reports of childhood vaccinations and infections and their concordance with general practitioner records. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 13, 13–22.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). (2000) National Population Policy–2000, New Delhi : Department of Family Welfare, Government of India.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). (2003) Annual Report (2002–03), New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). (2005) National Rural Health Mission (2005–2012) Mission Document, Department of Family Welfare, Government of India. New Delhi: India.
Mohanty, S. K., & Pathak, P. K. (2009). Rich-poor gap in utilization of reproductive and child health care services in India, 1992–2005. Journal of Biosocial Sciences, 41(3), 381–398.
Pande, P. R., & Yazbeck, S. A. (2003). What’s in a country average? Wealth, gender, and regional inequalities in immunization in India. Social Science and Medicine, 57, 2075–2088.
Pebley, A. R., Goldman, N., & Rodriguez, G. (1996). Prenatal and delivery care and childhood immunization in Guatemala: Do family and community matter? Demography, 33, 231–247.
Rahman, M. S. (2007). Socioeconomic disparities in health, nutrition, and population in Bangladesh: Do education and exposure to media reduce it? Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 6(3), 286–293.
Sokhey, J., Mathur, Y., & Biellik, R. (1993). Country overview: A report of the international evaluation of the immunization program in India. Indian Pediatrics, 30(2), 153–174.
Starling, M., Brugha, R., Walt, G., Heaton, A., & Keith, R. (2002). New products into old systems. The global alliance for vaccines and immunizations (GAVI) from a country perspective. London: Save the Children Fund.
Stephen, S. L., David, B. S., Alexandra, C. C., & Murry, J. L. (2008). Tracking progress towards universal childhood immunization and the impact of global initiatives: A systematic analysis of three-dose diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunization coverage. Lancet, 372, 2031–2046.
Streatfield, K., Singarimbun, M., & Diamond, I. (1990). Maternal education and child immunization. Demography, 27(3), 447–455.
Suarez, L., Simpson, D. M., & Smith, D. R. (1997). Errors and correlates in parental recall of child immunization: Effects on vaccination coverage estimates. Pediatrics, 1–5.
UNICEF. (2007). The state of the world’s children 2007. New York.
United Nations (UN). (2005). Indicators for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals: Definitions, rationale, concepts and sources. New York.
Valadez, J. J., & Weld, L. H. (1991). Maternal recall error of child vaccination status in a developing nation. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 120–122.
Westly, S. B. (2003). Child survival and healthcare in developing countries. Asia-Pacific Population and Policy, East-West Centre, Population and Health Studies, 67. Accessed on (www.eastwestcenter.org).
World Health Organization (WHO). (2002). Department of immunization. Vaccines and biological estimates for under-five death. Geneva.
Acknowledgments
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 26th IUSSP conference at Marrakech, Morocco, 26 September–2 October, 2009. We would like to thank the chairperson Anastasia J. Gage of Tulane University, New Orleans, for her beneficial comments and suggestions to improve the earlier draft.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, A., Mohanty, S.K. Socio-economic differentials in childhood immunization in India, 1992–2006. J Pop Research 28, 301–324 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-011-9069-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12546-011-9069-y