Tracking immunization coverage, dropout and equity gaps among children ages 12–23 months in Malawi – bottleneck analysis of the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey

Mmanga, K., Mwenenkulu, T. E., Nkoka, O. and Ntenda, P. A.M. (2021) Tracking immunization coverage, dropout and equity gaps among children ages 12–23 months in Malawi – bottleneck analysis of the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey. International Health, (doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihab038) (PMID:34153106)

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Abstract

Background: Between 2010 and 2016, the proportion of children 12–23 months of age who received full immunization in Malawi decreased from 81% to 76%. Most studies on immunization have mainly focused on the risk factors of vaccination coverage while data on dropouts and equity gaps is very scanty. Thus the aim of the present study was to describe the trend in immunization coverage, dropout rates and effective immunization coverage (EIC) among children ages 12–23 months in Malawi. Methods: Secondary analyses of the cross-sectional data obtained from the three waves of the Demographic and Health Surveys (2004, 2010 and 2015–16) were conducted. Using bottleneck analysis, outputs were generated based on service coverage, demand/equity (service utilization) and quality (full immunization). The World Health Organization benchmarks were used to assess gaps in the immunization coverage indicators. Results: The coverage was >90.0% in most of the antigens while full immunization status was estimated at 65%, 84% and 73% in 2004, 2010 and 2015, respectively. The highest coverage was observed in Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) and lowest in oral polio vaccine 1 (OPV1). OPV1 coverage was <90% in the 2004 cohort year, while pentavalent 3 (Penta3) and measles-containing vaccine 1 (MCV1) coverages were <90% in 2004. Dropout rates of Penta3 and MCV1 were significantly >10% in 2004. The logistic regression analyses showed that children were significantly less likely to be immunized with Penta3 and MCV1 in all cohort years compared with Penta1. Conclusions: Although immunization coverage was in line with the national and district targets for various antigens, full vaccination coverage (FVC) is still lagging behind. Furthermore, the dropout rates for Penta3 and MCV1 showed upside U-shaped patterns. Thus health education, supervision and orientation of service providers are urgently needed to address disparities that are existing in FVC.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This research did not receive a grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Funding for the 2015– 2016 MDHS was provided by the government of Malawi, the United States Agency for International Development, UNICEF, the Malawi National AIDS Commission, the United Nations Population Fund, UN WOMEN, Irish Aid and the World Bank.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Nkoka, Dr Owen
Authors: Mmanga, K., Mwenenkulu, T. E., Nkoka, O., and Ntenda, P. A.M.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health
Journal Name:International Health
Publisher:Oxford University Press
ISSN:1876-3413
ISSN (Online):1876-3405
Published Online:21 June 2021
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2021 The Authors
First Published:First published in International Health 2021
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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