Socio-economic determinants of the second-dose measles vaccination coverage in Poland

Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and serves as an early indicator of gaps in population immunity. Despite the introduction of measles vaccination 50 years ago, Poland remains one of nine endemic countries in the WHO European Region. The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between socio-economic factors and sufficient coverage (≥95%) with the second dose of vaccination against measles (MMR2) at the poviat level in Poland from 2014 - 2018.

Data on MMR2 coverage was extracted from annual reports collected by sanitary-epidemiological stations in Poland. Socio-economic data was obtained from Statistics Poland. A multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusted for population size and the number of physicians and nurses, was performed to identify predictors of sufficient MMR2 coverage.

Three socio-economic variables were found to be significant independent predictors of sufficient MMR2 coverage across years: the number of households receiving community-based social assistance, families receiving child benefits, and the number of medical consultations in primary health care. Poviats with higher values for these variables had increased odds of achieving sufficient MMR2 coverage. In contrast, no significant association was observed between MMR2 coverage and the average monthly salary, employment rates, or the number of foster families.

MMR2 coverage at the poviat level in Poland is predictable using selected socio-economic variables. The findings suggest that benefitting from social assistance positively influences vaccination uptake. While individual-level data would provide greater insight, poviat-level data can still guide public health interventions to improve MMR2 coverage and reduce the risk of measles outbreaks.