Peer-reviewed article
Vaccination compliance and factors influencing parental adherence to childhood immunisation in the Doluwa Medical Officer of Health Area, Sri Lanka
R. A. S. M. B. Ramanayake, N. J. Gajanayake, M. Nishanthini, D. G. K. B. Perera, U. M. N. S. Premasiri et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined vaccination compliance and parental attitudes toward childhood immunisation in a district of Sri Lanka. All 176 parents surveyed had vaccinated their children, but 26.7% reported delays, mostly due to child illness. Parents showed strong positive attitudes toward the government vaccination programme, with 96.6% viewing it favourably. The main finding was that while vaccination coverage was excellent, delays in vaccination timing remain a concern that could reduce herd immunity.
Key points
- All 176 participants had appropriately vaccinated their children, with no non-vaccinated children in the sample
- 26.7% of children experienced vaccination delays, primarily attributed to child illness (23.4% of cases)
- Child's age was significantly associated with vaccination delay (OR=1.045, 95% CI=1.02–1.07)
- 96.6% of parents held positive attitudes towards the expanded programme of immunisation
- 76.7% of parents cited high responsibility of the government sector as a reason for positive attitudes
Limitations
This was a convenience sample from one district in Sri Lanka, so findings may not be generalizable to other regions. The study focused only on parents attending vaccination clinics, which may exclude hard-to-reach populations with lower vaccination engagement.
Abstract
Background: The expanded programme of immunisation (EPI) has been a major success in Sri Lanka. However, despite its success, vaccine hesitancy remains a concern. Timely vaccination is crucial, as delays and missed doses reduce herd immunity and increase susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases.Objectives: To evaluate vaccine compliance, parental attitudes toward childhood immunization, and the factors influencing vaccination compliance among parents in the Doluwa Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area.Method: A community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 176 participants attending vaccination and well-baby clinics in conveniently selected Public Health Midwife (PHM) areas within the Doluwa MOH area in Kandy district. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and Child Health Development Records.Results: Study involved 176 parents, with mean participant age of 31 years. All participants had appropriately vaccinated their children for their age, except for 47 (26.7%) who reported vaccination delays, primarily due to child illness (23.4%). There were no non-vaccinated participants. A significant association was found between child’s age and vaccination delay (OR= 1.045, 95% CI=1.02–1.07). All participants obtained vaccines from government sector. A majority (96.6%) had positive attitudes towards EPI, citing the high responsibility of the government sector (76.7%).Conclusions: Despite excellent vaccination coverage, vaccination delays persist, indicating areas for improvement in the implementation of EPI.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Examination of existing vaccination programme implementation and parental compliance patterns
- Population
- 176 parents with children attending vaccination and well-baby clinics in the Doluwa MOH area, Kandy district, Sri Lanka; mean parent age 31 years
Key finding
100% of surveyed children were appropriately vaccinated with no non-vaccinated participants