Two-Dose Measles-Containing Vaccine (MCV1 and MCV2) Completion and Associated Factors Among Children Aged 24–59 Months in Soroti City, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Jacintah Nyesigye,1 Abudu Rahuman Ssekabira,1,2 Ethel Turyasingura,1 Precious Thereza Namazzi,1 Samuel Okello,1 Faith Naijuka,1 Ronald Opito31Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti, Uganda; 2Department of Nursing, Ngora Hospital School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ngora, Uganda; 3Department of Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti, UgandaCorrespondence: Abudu Rahuman Ssekabira, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, P.O. Box 211, Soroti, Uganda, Tel +256 777347339, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to determine the measles immunization completion rate, defined as receipt of both the first (MCV1) and second (MCV2) doses of measles-containing vaccine, and associated factors among children aged 24– 59 months in Soroti City, Northeastern Uganda.Patients and Methods: A quantitative analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Soroti City between November 2025 and January 2026. Multi-stage cluster random sampling was employed to select 325 children aged 24– 59 months from households in eight villages across two divisions of Soroti City. Data were collected through face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaires targeting caregivers. Immunization status was verified using child health cards and, where cards were unavailable, caregiver recall. Data were analyzed using Stata version 15.0, with descriptive statistics, bivariate chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression performed at a significance level of p < 0.05.Results: The measles immunization completion rate was 76.6% (95% CI: 71.7– 80.9%). Six variables were significantly associated with completion at the bivariate level (p < 0.05) and were entered into the multivariable model: birth order, caregiver occupation, household income, ANC attendance, outreach service availability, and vaccine safety perception. At multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with measles immunization completion were birth order of three and above (AOR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.15– 0.93; p = 0.034), unemployed caregiver occupation (AOR = 2.88; 95% CI: 1.50– 5.52; p = 0.002), household income of 200,000–< 500,000 UGX (AOR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.15– 0.61; p = 0.001), antenatal care attendance of more than six visits (AOR = 5.77; 95% CI: 1.86– 17.93; p = 0.002), availability of outreach services (AOR = 3.82; 95% CI: 1.90– 7.70; p < 0.001), and agreement that measles vaccines are safe (AOR = 16.27; 95% CI: 2.83– 93.64; p = 0.002). Attendance of 3– 6 ANC visits and household income of ≥ 500,000 UGX were associated with completion at the bivariate level but did not remain statistically significant after adjustment.Conclusion: Measles immunization completion among children aged 24– 59 months in Soroti City was 76.6%, substantially higher than Uganda’s national MR2 uptake of 28% reported for the 2023/2024 financial year, but still below the WHO-recommended 95% threshold; because the national and study estimates refer to different periods and populations, this comparison should be interpreted as indicative rather than a direct benchmark. Outreach service availability, vaccine safety perception, ANC attendance, caregiver occupation, household income, and birth order were the factors most strongly associated with completion in this setting. Strengthening outreach services, integrating immunization counselling into ANC, addressing caregiver concerns about vaccine safety, and paying closer attention to households with several children are programmatic implications suggested by these associations, though intervention effectiveness was not directly tested in this cross-sectional study.Keywords: measles immunization, completion rate, children, associated factors, Soroti City, Uganda