Community knowledge, attitude and practice of childhood immunization in Southwest Nigeria: Data from a Paediatric Association of Nigeria town hall meeting

Background: Vaccine preventable diseases account for 22% of under-five deaths in Nigeria and poor knowledge and attitude have been responsible for non-vaccination of children. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of childhood immunization among community members in Ile-Ife. Methods: Quantitative data (using an interviewer-administered questionnaire) was collected from a convenience sample of 36 adult residents who attended a town hall meeting with the Paediatric Association of Nigeria. Two focus group discussions were also conducted among sub-samples of male and femae respondents. Results: The mean age of respondents was 43.2 ± 11.9 years with a male to female ratio of 1:0.7. Most had secondary education (63.9%) and had children (91.7%). Most of the respondents understood what immunization was and knew the benefits but were unaware of several of the specific types of immunization. There were erroneous beliefs about the contraindications for immunization and mothers were entrusted with the sole responsibility of getting children immunized. Although most of the respondents had immunized their children, they identified laziness of mothers, negative attitude of health workers and logistics problems at facilities as barriers to patronage of immunization services. Conclusion: This study identified knowledge gaps and negative attitudes towards childhood immunization. We therefore recommend a community-wide health education intervention with emphasis on substantial male involvement in i mmunizations and improvement in immunization service delivery.