Background: Vaccine-preventable diseases are a major cause of death in children less than 5 years old especially in low/middle-income countries like Nigeria. Immunization has played a crucial role in decreasing mortality and morbidity in this vulnerable population. This study assessed the knowledge of routine and optional vaccines and factors associated with the uptake of these vaccines among caregivers of children aged less than 2 years in Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos State.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 319 caregivers of children less than 2 years old selected by multistage sampling. Data were obtained using interviewer-administered questionnaires and analyzed using Epi Info software version 3.5. Descriptive analysis was presented as frequencies, proportions, and graphs to summarize the data. Bivariate analysis was done using Chisquare/ Fischer exact tests to identify the association between independent and dependent variables.
The level of significance was set at p <0.05.
Results: Majority of the respondents had good knowledge of routine (86.8%) and optional (60.2%) vaccines. Factors significantly associated with the uptake of routine vaccines were the place of birth (ꭓ2=46.154,p<0.01), caregiver’s education (ꭓ2=15.991,p=0.003), and knowledge of the routine vaccines (ꭓ2= p<0.01). Factors significantly associated with the uptake of optional vaccines were the age of respondents (ꭓ2=10.916,p=0.027), place of birth (ꭓ2=49.696, p<0.01), caregiver’s education (ꭓ2=45.038,p<0.01), caregiver’s occupation (ꭓ2=49.102p<0.01), average monthly income (ꭓ2=72.662,p<0.01)), and knowledge of optional vaccines (ꭓ2= p<0.01).
Conclusion: Though majority of the respondents had good knowledge of the vaccines, targeted interventions should be implemented to further improve knowledge and enhance uptake of both the routine and optional vaccines