Children on the move and vaccination coverage in a low-income, urban Latino population

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of childhood moves and foreign birth on vaccination coverage among Latino children in New York City.

Vaccination coverage was assessed in a survey of 314 children younger than 5 years at 2 immunization clinics.

Forty-seven percent of the study children had moved abroad. After adjustment for health insurance, regular source of care, and country of birth, child moves had no independent effect on vaccination coverage. Foreign-born children had diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus, oral polio vaccine, and measles-mumps-rubella vaccination coverage rates similar to those of US-born children, but they were underimmunized in regard to Haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B.

Foreign birth, but not childhood moves, is a barrier to vaccinations among low-income, urban Latino children.