Parental migration and children's timely measles vaccination in rural China: a cross-sectional study

With the rapid economic development in China, millions of rural residents are migrating to the cities to gain employment, resulting in numerous left-behind children (LBC). Simultaneously, outbreaks of measles continue to occur, yet the effect of parental migration on children's vaccination status is largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the association between parental migration and children's timely measles vaccination in rural China, after adjusting for family socio-economic status (SES) indicators.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey using multistage sampling among children aged 18-54 months in rural Guangxi of China. Information on measles vaccination status was obtained from the child's vaccination certificate, and data on SES were collected by interviewing the child's primary guardian. Family SES and vaccination coverage were compared between LBC and non-left-behind children (NLBC) using weighted logistic regression, while the delay in vaccination was compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Of the 1216 study children, 46% were LBC and 54% were NLBC. Compared to NLBC, the coverage of timely measles vaccination was significantly lower, and the median delay period was longer among LBC. After adjusting for SES indicators, LBC were significantly more likely to have an untimely vaccination for their first dose of measles vaccine than NLBC (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02-1.75).

Due to the negative effect of parental migration and family SES, LBC were more likely to encounter serious delays of measles vaccination in rural China. Optimising vaccination policies could facilitate timely vaccination among LBC in rural China.