Factors Effecting Parental Knowledge Regarding their Child Immunizations: An Observational Study from Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: A significant number of parents lack knowledge about vaccine-preventable diseases and hold misconceptions regarding the components, side effects and effectiveness of vaccines. A lack of understanding regarding childhood vaccinations was thought to be the main factor contributing to the return of vaccine preventable diseases. The study's objective was to evaluate parents' awareness of children vaccinations and to access the factors effecting parental knowledge regarding their child immunizations. Materials and Methods: A multi-centered, cross sectional observational study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge of the parents regarding their child immunization in Lahore, Pakistan. The data for this research project was collected from parents living in the regions of Lahore, Punjab. Study population was 353 parents belong to urban and rural areas of Lahore having children of different ages. Population was recruited for this study from Lahore. The population from which data was collected belongs to the Urban and Rural areas of the Lahore. Results: Out of 353 parents surveyed, majority of the study subject were mothers i.e., 56.1% with age 25-29 years (30.0%), stating that majority of the parents i.e., 64.0% have inappropriate knowledge. It is observed through statistical analysis that the occupation, number of children, residency, living class and health care providers in respondent family shows highly significant statistical association (p<0.001) with patient knowledge regarding their child immunizations. Conclusion: This study showed that parents with lower levels of education were less informed about vaccinations, the majority lack particular understanding about vaccinations and how long they provide protection. The immunization status was significantly influenced by sociodemographic characteristics. In order to increase their understanding, efforts should be made to improve them in addition to educating people about vaccinations. It is imperative to guarantee that parents possess comprehensive knowledge on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.