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

Abstract #118526

Stella O. Babalola, PhD, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins University, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21239, 410-659-6232, sbabalol@jhuccp.org

In spite of the considerable efforts that have been put into immunisation programme in Nigeria, immunisation uptake remains generally low in the country, especially in the northern states. Each year, thousands of children die or are maimed for life as a result of diseases that are preventable through immunisation. Preliminary results from the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) revealed a DPT3 coverage rate of 21% among children aged 12 – 23 months. Moreover, Nigeria remains one of the few reservoirs of polio around the world. Data for 2003 show that with 347 cases, Nigeria has the highest number of children paralysed by the poliovirus. The data presented in the paper will derive from a 2004 survey on the individual and community factors affecting the uptake of immunization in four northern and two southern states of Nigeria. A total of 7200 respondents, mostly women with under-5 children, were interviewed. One finding from the survey is that there is a strong correlation between household poverty level (measured in terms of the socio-economic status of the household) and the prevalence of full immunization. The paper aims to explore the mediating role of mother's decision-making power in this relationship. The woman's decision-making power is measured through a set of questions that assessed the woman's contribution to specific household decisions. The implications of the findings for programming and policy will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation the audience will be able to

(
• Recognize the relationship between poverty and immunization coverage in Nigeria; (
• Understand the role that a mother’s decision-making power plays in the immunization status of her children; and (
• Determine appropriate ways of promoting immunization uptake in low-resource areas.

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.