1. Factors influencing the rate of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination of children under 5 years of age in Taipei City during 2012.
- Author
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KUO-NING LIN, CHENG-YU CHEN, CHIUNG-CHING TSAI, and YU-ROO CHU
- Subjects
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PNEUMOCOCCAL vaccines , *CHILD health services , *AGE groups , *IMMUNIZATION of children , *POPULATION research , *HEALTH promotion , *EQUIPMENT & supplies - Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the rate of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) vaccination of children under 5 years of age in Taipei City during 2012. Methods: Based on data from the National Immunization Information System (NIIS), we selected families with children under 5 years of age in Taipei City as the study population. We adopted the stratified random sampling method to sample 12 administrative districts in Taipei City and allocated samples proportionally according to the number of families in each district. In December 2012, a computer assisted telephone interview was conducted. We used chi-square tests, point-biserial correlations, and a multiple logistic regression model to analyze the 707 valid samples. Results: The PCV vaccination rate of children under 5 years of age in Taipei City exceeded 80%. After multiple logistic regression analysis, we found that the statistically significant factors influencing PCV vaccination were: father's age and primary caregiver's acknowledgement of health beliefs such as perceived susceptibility to invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and PCV's effectiveness. Conclusions: In order to raise primary caregivers' acknowledgement of perceived susceptibility to IPD and the effectiveness of PCV, we suggest that the health authorities provide more comprehensive information for the public. Campaign materials might include educational posters and brochures in which the severity of IPD and the ingredients and protective effects of PCV shots are explained. We also suggest further research on vaccination and herd immunity based on the PCV vaccination rate in Taipei city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013