Factors Associating Vaccination Delay among Jordanian Children under Two Years of Age

Purpose: This study examines the association between selected socio-demographic factors (gender, birth order, parents' educational levels, and parents' employment status) and reasons for vaccination delay among Jordanian children under two years of age.

Design & methods: A cross-sectional, prospective study was conducted in the three comprehensive public health centres in Amman Governorate in Jordan from January-June, 2019. The electronic vaccination record was designed to collect socio- demographic information and reasons for vaccination delay in children. This data was collected from the medical records of those children.

Results: The findings revealed that 150 (8.3%) children under two years of age were registered as vaccination-delayed cases. The factors associated with vaccination delay were age (Chi-square test [χ²] [6150] = 15.02, p-value [p] < 0.01), birth order (χ² [6150] = 15.02, p < 0.01), mother's educational level (χ² [2150] = 9.27, p < 0.05), and father's and mother's employment (χ² [2150] = 7.89, p < 0.05; χ² [2150] = 10.54, p < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusion: Timeliness of vaccination should be promoted to prevent illness outbreaks and provide specific protection for children, taking into consideration the significance of age and birth order.

Practice implications: Interventions and strategies need to implementation to reduce vaccination delay and improve timeliness.