Effect of the Expanded Program on Immunization Contact Method of data collection on health behaviors in Mali

The Expanded Program on Immunization Contact Method (EPI-CM) is a proposed monitoring and program management tool for developing countries. The method involves health workers tallying responses to questions about health behaviors during routine immunizations and providing targeted counseling. We evaluated whether asking caretakers about health behaviors during EPI visits led to changes in those behaviors.

We worked in 2 districts in Mali: an intervention district where during immunization visits workers asked about 4 health behaviors related to bed net use, fever, respiratory disease, and diarrhea, and a control district where workers conducted routine immunization activities without health behavior questions. To evaluate the effect of EPI-CM, we conducted a cross-sectional household survey at baseline and 1 year postintervention. We used multivariate logistic regression to compare between districts the change over 1 year in 4 health behaviors: use of insecticide-treated nets, appropriate fever treatment, care-seeking for respiratory complaints, and appropriate diarrhea treatment.

There were no significant differences between the 2 districts in the change in the 4 health behaviors when controlling for age, sex, maternal education and occupation, immunization history, and wealth.

We found no evidence that EPI-CM increases healthy behaviors. Further evaluation of other potential benefits and costs of EPI-CM is warranted.