Authors' Affiliations

Charles Olomofe, Department of Epidemiology and biostatistics, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, United States Sarah Boop, Epidemiology Unit, Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office, Tennessee Department of Health, Johnson City, United States Billy Brooks, Department of Epidemiology and biostatistics, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, United States David Kirschke, Epidemiology Unit, Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office, Tennessee Department of Health, Johnson City, United States Oluwafunmike Olomofe, Department of International Law, Federal Ministry of Justice, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria

Location

Culp Center Rm. 366

Start Date

4-25-2023 1:20 PM

End Date

4-25-2023 1:40 PM

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Billy Brooks

Classification of First Author

Graduate Student-Doctoral

Competition Type

Competitive

Type

Oral Presentation

Project's Category

Infectious Diseases, Child Health

Abstract or Artist's Statement

Background

The use of vaccines is among the most cost-effective tools for preventing infectious diseases and their complications. However, poor uptake and increasing exemption to routine childhood vaccination have been linked with outbreaks of infectious diseases such as measles, pertussis, and more recently poliomyelitis in the US. The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence, pattern, and predisposing factors of vaccine exemptions to childhood immunization amongst parents of children in the Northeast Region from 2017 to 2021.

Methods

The routine immunization data of children between 1-24 months in the Northeast region, Tennessee from 2017- 2021 was extracted. Based on the population of children within the birth cohort, a random sample of children was selected from birth certificates of children born in the first three months of 2 years prior in Tennessee’s eight counties in the Northeast region. Descriptive statistics with trends, Chi-square, and logistic regression were conducted to delineate factors associated with vaccine exemption in the region.

Result

The prevalence of vaccine exemption was 2% on average, but the vaccine exemption rate increased significantly from 1.5% in 2019 (pre-COVID pandemic) to 2.5% in 2020 (peri-COVID period). However, the mother’s level of education (aOR=2.37; CI=0.55-10.17), mother’s age (aOR=0.59; CI=0.14-2.51), TennCare attendance (aOR=0.57; CI=0.15-2.21) do not show statistically significant association with exemption to childhood vaccination in Northeast region in Tennessee.

Conclusion

There appears to be an increasing trend in the vaccine exemption to routine childhood immunizations in the Northeast region of Tennessee over the years. However, the impact of other factors associated with exemptions to childhood vaccinations needs further research.

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Apr 25th, 1:20 PM Apr 25th, 1:40 PM

Routine Childhood Immunization in Appalachia: A 5-year review of the prevalence, pattern, and predictors of vaccine exemptions in Northeast Region Tennessee

Culp Center Rm. 366

Background

The use of vaccines is among the most cost-effective tools for preventing infectious diseases and their complications. However, poor uptake and increasing exemption to routine childhood vaccination have been linked with outbreaks of infectious diseases such as measles, pertussis, and more recently poliomyelitis in the US. The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence, pattern, and predisposing factors of vaccine exemptions to childhood immunization amongst parents of children in the Northeast Region from 2017 to 2021.

Methods

The routine immunization data of children between 1-24 months in the Northeast region, Tennessee from 2017- 2021 was extracted. Based on the population of children within the birth cohort, a random sample of children was selected from birth certificates of children born in the first three months of 2 years prior in Tennessee’s eight counties in the Northeast region. Descriptive statistics with trends, Chi-square, and logistic regression were conducted to delineate factors associated with vaccine exemption in the region.

Result

The prevalence of vaccine exemption was 2% on average, but the vaccine exemption rate increased significantly from 1.5% in 2019 (pre-COVID pandemic) to 2.5% in 2020 (peri-COVID period). However, the mother’s level of education (aOR=2.37; CI=0.55-10.17), mother’s age (aOR=0.59; CI=0.14-2.51), TennCare attendance (aOR=0.57; CI=0.15-2.21) do not show statistically significant association with exemption to childhood vaccination in Northeast region in Tennessee.

Conclusion

There appears to be an increasing trend in the vaccine exemption to routine childhood immunizations in the Northeast region of Tennessee over the years. However, the impact of other factors associated with exemptions to childhood vaccinations needs further research.