Awareness, Attitude and Compliance Towards childhood immunization among mothers in Bayelsa East Senatorial District

Abstract This study examine the awareness, attitude and compliance towards childhood immunization among mothers in Bayelsa East Senatorial District. Three objectives and research questions were established for this study. The research design adopted for this study was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. The population for this study consisted of all mothers in Bayelsa East Senatorial District. The district has a total population of 494,699 with a sample size of 800 mothers. The reliability coefficient was determined using Kuder-Richardson 20 and Cronbach Alpha with the overall value obtained was 0.76. The data collected were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.00). The result of this study revealed that the awareness level on childhood immunization among mothers in Bayelsa East Senatorial District was high (96.3%). The result showed that the respondents had positive attitude toward childhood immunization. The grand mean = 2.66 is greater than the criterion mean = 2.5 for a four point likert scale. The vaccines respondents complied to included: polio and DTP vaccines after the firths 6th weeks of birth 702(96.3%), heamphilus influenza type B, pneumococcal vaccine between the 4-6th week after birth, Rotavirus vaccine at the 5th weeks after birth and second polio dosage on the 8th week 675(92.6%) each, Hepatitis B second dosage after 4th weeks 594(81.5%), Hepatitis B vaccine first dosage within first 24 hours after birth 378(51.9%) and BCG 324(44.4%). It was concluded that; the awareness level of mothers on childhood immunization was high with a positive attitude and good level of compliance with immunization schedule. It was recommended that public health practitioners should embark on community based interventions through proper counseling to clear every misconception about childhood immunization arising from lack of information which influences its compliance.