Factors associated with the uptake of the UK routine childhood immunization schedule in a bi-ethnic population

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Childhood Vaccinations

Background:

• Limited research exists on UK childhood immunization status and vaccine coverage at 1, 2, and 5 years.
• Previous studies identified factors associated with vaccination uptake but not overall immunization status across multiple time points.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess overall immunization status and individual vaccine uptake in the UK routine childhood vaccination schedule.
• To examine factors associated with partial vaccine uptake in White British and Pakistani children at 1, 2, and 5 years.
• To compare vaccine uptake between ethnic groups and identify socio-economic influences.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 6977 participants in the Born in Bradford cohort, linked to primary care records.
• Estimated overall immunization status and individual vaccine uptake for the UK routine childhood vaccination schedule.
• Employed Poisson regression to identify factors associated with partial uptake within ethnic groups.

Main Results:

• Pakistani children demonstrated higher vaccine uptake compared to White British children at all examined ages and years.
• Maternal country of birth influenced immunization status: foreign-born White British women had higher partial immunization, while foreign-born Pakistani women had higher full immunization.
• Socio-economic factors significantly correlated with vaccination uptake, particularly among White British women.

Conclusions:

• Vaccination uptake is significantly influenced by socio-economic environment, ethnicity, and maternal country of birth.
• Current health education and service delivery strategies may not effectively reach all families, especially those from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Targeted interventions are recommended to improve immunization uptake among specific family groups and enhance vaccine equity.