Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105543

Yuichiro Yahata, MPH, PhD¹, Tomoko Satou¹, Yong Zhang, MD, PhD¹, Kozue Sasaki², Takako Tanaka¹, Noriyuki Suzuki, MD, PhD¹, and Kasuhiko Moji, PhD³. (1) Akita Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 6-6, Sensyu Kubota Machi, Akita, 0100874, Japan, +81-18-832-5026, YuichirouY@aol.com, (2) Department of Health & Welfare, Akita Prefectural Government, 4-1-1, Sanno, Akita, 0108570, Japan, (3) Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4, Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 8528523, Japan

INTRODUCTIONS WHO reports that 95% of immunization coverage is necessary to prevent outbreak of measles. Measles immunization coverage in Japan, however, is as low as 80%. We investigated factors affecting measles immunization coverage in Akita, Japan.

MATERIAL & METHODS One thousand and two hundred children who underwent a 3-year-old health checkup from April to December 2004, 50.5% of boys and 49.5% of girls, participated in the study, A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on characteristics of child, care-taker in daytime, history and age of measles immunization and infection, and guardians' knowledge and attitude. Cumulative immunization coverage rate was calculated. Associations between immunization with knowledge and attitude were studied and crude odds ratios were calculated. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associating with immunization.

RESULTS Cumulative immunization coverage rate was 92.0% at 42 months. Infected by measles was 2.2% in their age between 5 and 23 months. Guardians were getting information on measles immunization mainly from postcard notification of immunization, MCH-pocketbook and medical institutions. Immunization was significantly associated with source of knowledge, i.e. notification (OR=2.6, 95% CI: 1.4-4.9), MCH-pocketbook (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.7), and attitude, i.e. “should be immunization before infection” (OR=29.1, 95% CI: 15.2-55.8) and scheduling all of the routine vaccine (OR=19.1, 95% CI: 7.0-52.5).

CONCLUSION Our results suggest that more educational programs for guardians are needed to increase the appropriate general knowledge and desirable attitude regarding measles immunization in Japan.

Learning Objectives:

• Investigate

Keywords: Health Education, Immunizations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.