Immunization Statuses of Children in Childcare Centers and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Delayed DTaP4 Immunization

Purpose: Immunization is one of the simplest and most effective approaches for protecting the health of children from preventable infectious disease. This study assessed the immunization statuses of children presenting to childcare centers in Korea and compared the sociodemographic factors of children with age-appropriate immunization for DTaP4 with those with delayed immunization for DTaP4. Method: A national mail survey was used to collect data on the children's immunization history and sociodemographic information. A total of 248 mothers returned completed questionnaires for their children. Results: The overall immunization coverage for HepB, a series of DTaP and polio and varicella was above 95%. However, the percentage of age-appropriate immunizations of vaccines ranged from 45.3% to 69.0% depending on the vaccines. Only the age of the child was a significant factor for delayed immunization for DTaP4. Conclusion: To fully protect children from vaccine-preventable disease, childcare providers can playa role in monitoring the immunization statuses of children in their care centers to ensure that they all receive all childhood immunizations on time.