Vaccination Coverage and Associated Factors among Children Aged 12–23 Months in Debre Markos Town, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction . Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine or a biological substance intended to stimulate a recipient’s immune system to produce antibodies or undergo other changes that provide future protection against specific infectious diseases. Objective . To determine vaccination coverage and associated factors among children aged 12–23 months in Debre Markos town 2016. Methods . Community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 288 mothers/caretakers to child (12–23 months) pair. Study populations were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Structured interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Variables with P value of less than 0.05 in multivariate analysis were considered as statistically significant at 95% CI. Result . About 264 (91.7%) of children were completely vaccinated. Male birth 3.24 (1.16–9.04), wanted pregnancy 2.89 (1.17–7.17), having at least two ANC follow-ups 4.04 (1.35–12.06), and short distance from vaccination site 3.38 (1.29–8.86) were found positively associated with complete immunization. Conclusion and Recommendation . There was relatively high immunization coverage in the study. Child’s sex, ANC follow-up, type of pregnancy, and distance from health institution were factors associated with complete vaccination. Preventing unwanted pregnancy and promoting ANC and postnatal follow-up should be strengthened. Vaccination sites should also be further expanded.