Vaccination coverage among migrants: A systematic review and meta-analysis
M Rojas-Venegas1, N Cano-Ibáñez2, K S Khan3
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Semergen
|February 1, 2022
Summary
Migrants have significantly lower vaccination coverage than non-migrants. This systematic review quantifies this disparity, highlighting the need for equitable immunization programs to protect both migrant and host populations.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Global Health
Background:
- Migrants face barriers to immunization programs, leading to potential inequities.
- Previous studies suggested lower vaccination rates among migrants, but this gap was not quantified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess and compare vaccination coverage between migrant and non-migrant populations.
- To synthesize existing literature on immunization disparities in migrant groups.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
- Literature search across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (inception to Feb 2021).
- Random effects model used to calculate summary odds ratio (OR) for vaccination coverage.
Main Results:
- Included 44 studies with over 7.9 million participants.
- Migrants showed significantly lower odds of vaccination coverage (summary OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.37-0.66).
- 36 out of 39 meta-analyzable studies indicated lower coverage among migrants.
Conclusions:
- Migrants are vaccinated at half the rate of non-migrants.
- Public health strategies must prioritize vaccination equity for migrants.
- Equitable immunization protects not only migrants but also the wider host communities.
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
45.6K
Overview
45.6K
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
761
Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:
761
00:53Migration
8.1K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
8.1K
01:26Principles of Disease Surveillance
210
Disease surveillance is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. This process integrates data dissemination to entities responsible for preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Surveillance systems provide crucial information for action, helping public health authorities make informed decisions to manage and prevent outbreaks, ensure public safety, optimize...
210
01:38What is the Immune System?
118.3K
Overview
118.3K
01:08Prevalence and Incidence
904
In statistical epidemiology and health sciences, two essential metrics—prevalence and incidence—are fundamental for understanding disease dynamics within a population. These measures enable public health officials, epidemiologists, and researchers to assess the burden of diseases, allocate resources effectively, and design impactful public health policies and interventions.
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
904