Prevalence and factors associated with delayed uptake of the pentavalent vaccines among children aged 12 to 23 months in Kawempe Division, Kampala

Abstract

Delayed vaccination significantly reduces the number of individuals with full immunity against targeted diseases hence affecting the goal of achieving herd immunity; it also increases the likelihood of missing subsequent doses and dropping out of the schedule. Understanding the specific factors that contribute to delayed vaccination is crucial for developing targeted interventions that can improve vaccination timeliness. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and factors associated with delayed uptake of the pentavalent vaccines among children aged 12-23 months in Kawempe division, Kampala. This cross-sectional study used multistage sampling technique to randomly select 653 children aged 12-23 months with their caretakers from twenty-five villages in Kawempe division. Data on vaccination status; socio-demographic, attitudinal, social-influence, and self-efficacy factors were obtained using an interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire. Modified poison regression with robust standard errors was used to identify factors associated with delayed vaccinations at 95% level of significance. Analysis was done using Stata version 14.0. Most (97.5%) children were biologically related to their caretakers. Over half (51.3%) of the children were male. The mean age of the caretakers was 28.5 years ((SD) ±3.5). The prevalence of delayed pentavalent vaccine uptake was 30.7%. Caretaker’s level of education being at least secondary education [APR 0.52, 95%CI (0.38-0.70)] , belief that vaccines are effective [APR 0.74, 95%CI (0.55-0.99)], caretaker’s perceived likelihood of their child contracting vaccine preventable diseases [APR 0.74, 95%CI (0.58-0.94)], having trust in information provided by health workers [APR 0.61, 95%CI (0.43-0.88)], belonging to a social group that discussed vaccination-related information [CPR 0.59, 95%CI (0.43-0.81)], high social encouragement from peers [APR 0.58, 95%CI (0.40-0.90)], having sufficient information about vaccines[APR 0.72, 95%CI (0.55-0.94)], and belief that reminders increased the likeliness to vaccinate children [APR 0.73, 95%CI (0.56-0.93)] were significantly associated with lower delays for receipt of the pentavalent vaccines. Being a non-biological child of the caregiver [APR 1.82, 95%CI (1.11-3.00)] and negative experiences from previous vaccinations [APR 1.48, 95%CI (1.15-1.90)] were significantly associated with increased prevalence of delayed vaccine uptake. Conclusion and Recommendation: The study highlights that higher caretaker education, belief in vaccine effectiveness, perceived child susceptibility to vaccine preventable diseases, trust in information provided by health workers, social support, and adequate knowledge about vaccination reduce delays in vaccine uptake. However, being a non-biological child and negative past experiences with vaccination increase delays. These findings emphasize the need for targeted community education and collaboration among healthcare providers and community-based organizations to promote timely vaccination.