Maternal and demographic factors associated with non-immunisation of Pacific infants living in New Zealand.

AIM

To identify the proportion of infants who had not received their first dose of the primary immunisation series at approximately 6 weeks of age, and to identify the maternal and demographic factors associated with non-immunisation.

METHOD

The data were gathered as part of the Pacific Islands Families (PIF): First Two Years of Life Study in which 1376 mothers were interviewed about the immunisation status of their infant. Mothers responded to questions about whether their child had been immunised, who administered the vaccines, and how satisfied they were with the care and treatment of their child in that context.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven percent of the mothers reported that they had not had their infant immunised at approximately six-weeks of age. Factors significantly associated (p<0.05) with non-immunisation were ethnic group, maternal birth place, parity, difficulty with transport, and age of the baby at the time of the interview.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate the need for education about the importance of the primary immunisation series and the current schedules, together with community resources to support mothers in the context of this infant health care initiative. Improving immunisation uptake through education may not be sufficient with the more widespread issues of deprivation and social equity needing to be addressed.