Socio-demographic Determinants of Childhood Immunisation in Egbedore LGA, Osun State, Nigeria

Immunisation is vital for global child health, preventing an estimated 2–3 million deaths each year. However, vaccination coverage remains inadequate in many rural areas, including Nigeria, where barriers related to system, socioeconomic status, and cultural beliefs continue to affect uptake. In Egbedore Local Government Area (LGA) of Osun State, previous estimates have indicated immunisation coverage below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended threshold of 80%, thus necessitating a focused investigation. The study aimed to investigate tSocio-demographic Determinants of Childhood Immunisation in Egbedore LGA, Osun State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was carried out using the WHO’s cluster sampling method. Data were gathered from 327 eligible participants via a structured, WHO-adapted questionnaire, and analyzed using chi-square tests at a 5% significance level. Ethical approval was granted by the relevant institutional review boards. The study found that 60.9% of female and 54.9% of male children were fully immunised. Although gender was not significantly related to immunisation status (p = 0.265), other factors showed significant associations. These included maternal age (p = 0.039), maternal education (p < 0.001), maternal occupation (p = 0.035), father's education (p = 0.003), household income (p = 0.001), and the number of children under five in the household (p = 0.007). Full immunisation rates were highest among children of mothers aged 25–34 years, with tertiary education, formal jobs, and in families with higher incomes and fewer young children. The immunisation uptake in Egbedore LGA is influenced by various sociodemographic factors, with maternal education, economic status, and family size being particularly significant. Despite equitable access across genders, structural obstacles need to be addressed to achieve universal immunisation coverage. It was recommended that it is crucial to implement targeted, community-based interventions—such as maternal health education, male involvement, mobile outreach services, and conditional cash transfers—to enhance vaccine uptake. Additionally, improving health system infrastructure and employing culturally relevant communication strategies will be vital for advancing equitable immunisation coverage in rural Nigeria.