[SOCIAL-ECONOMIC-DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN REASONS NOT TO COMPLY IN TIME WITH ROUTINE CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS]

In recent years, there has been an increase in parents who do not comply with recommended routine vaccines. The vaccination coverage rates in Israel are known, but the reasons for not completing immunizations are unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of failure to complete the routine vaccinations in time and the reasons among different population groups.

This is a retrospective case-control cohort study, among children born in 2009. A total of 14,232 medical records of children who received services at Mother-Child Health Clinics were checked. The children who received all three core vaccines (3th Hepatitis B, 4th DTaP and MMR vaccines) were considered fully compliant and those missing at least one vaccination were considered non-compliant. Six reasons for not complying were identified: medical reasons, parental refusal to vaccinate, requests for a deferred schedule of vaccinations, parental behavior, organizational reasons and others. The differences between groups were analyzed by univariate analysis and logistic regression.

In this study, 7.4% of children, were not fully compliant with all three core vaccines within two years. The main reasons in the Jewish population were: refusal and requests for variation in scheduling (44.3%) and in the Arabic population: parental behavior (40.8%). The risk for not completing the vaccinations was higher in children of Jewish mothers, residence in the Hadera sub-district, parents who had an academic education and older parents.

There are differences between Arab and Jewish populations in the reasons for not complying in time with childhood vaccinations. In order to obtain herd immunity in the Israeli population, we need to tailor interventions suitable for each population group according to their characteristics.