A study on impact of an educational programme on immunization behaviour of parents.

ABSTRACT

PIP: The knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents of children in Bangladesh 0-5 years of age with regard to immunization were measured before and after an educational program. The survey population included 60 mothers and 40 fathers. The educational program consisted of group discussions led by local leaders on The World Health Organization's Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) target diseases, home visits, and a film showing. The educational program produced an increase in knowledge, ranging from 13% to 37%, regarding signs and symptoms of all the EPI target diseases (diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis, and tuberculosis). Also noted were increases of 27-32% in knowledge about vaccines. Only 1-2% of respondents had knowledge of the EPI vaccination schedule before educational intervention; this statistic increased to 24-44% after the program. Before the education programs 77% of parents agreed that child immunization is necessary; after the program, 100% agreed. Also noted was an increase from 41% to 95% in the number of parents who agreed to take their child to an immunization center. In the 100 families surveyed, there were 147 children under 5 years of age. The educational program produced an 8.9% increase in vaccine acceptance. Reasons for nonacceptance included ignorance of the vaccines (27%), carelessness on the part of the provider (43%), nonavailability of the vaccine (16%), communication problems (6%), fear of side effects (8%), and travel problems (6%). Overall, these results suggested a substantial increase in knowledge and attitude as a result of education, but a lack of dramatic improvement in actual vaccine acceptance. It is noted, however, that the short duration of the study (2 months) may have led to an underestimate of actual vaccine acceptance.