Tropical Medicine and International Health
Volume 21, Issue 7, 2016, Pages 886-894

Parental migration and children's timely measles vaccination in rural China: a cross-sectional study (Article)

Tang X.* , Geater A. , McNeil E. , Zhou H. , Deng Q. , Dong A. , Li Q.
  • a Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
  • b Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
  • c Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
  • d Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
  • e Institute of Vaccination, Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
  • f Institute of Vaccination, Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
  • g Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Abstract

Objective: With the rapid economic development in China, millions of rural residents are migrating to the cities to gain employment, resulting in numerous left-behind children (LBC). Simultaneously, outbreaks of measles continue to occur, yet the effect of parental migration on children's vaccination status is largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the association between parental migration and children's timely measles vaccination in rural China, after adjusting for family socio-economic status (SES) indicators. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using multistage sampling among children aged 18–54 months in rural Guangxi of China. Information on measles vaccination status was obtained from the child's vaccination certificate, and data on SES were collected by interviewing the child's primary guardian. Family SES and vaccination coverage were compared between LBC and non-left-behind children (NLBC) using weighted logistic regression, while the delay in vaccination was compared using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results: Of the 1216 study children, 46% were LBC and 54% were NLBC. Compared to NLBC, the coverage of timely measles vaccination was significantly lower, and the median delay period was longer among LBC. After adjusting for SES indicators, LBC were significantly more likely to have an untimely vaccination for their first dose of measles vaccine than NLBC (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02–1.75). Conclusions: Due to the negative effect of parental migration and family SES, LBC were more likely to encounter serious delays of measles vaccination in rural China. Optimising vaccination policies could facilitate timely vaccination among LBC in rural China. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Author Keywords

Socio-economic status Vaccination parental migration Left-behind children timeliness

Index Keywords

China rural area observational method sampling developing country survival analysis human controlled study socioeconomic status left behind children Guangxi Zhuangzu cross-sectional study social status male female risk factor measles vaccination emigration child health Article data set measles vaccine migration Health Policy vaccination measles miscellaneous named groups Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84977515411&doi=10.1111%2ftmi.12719&partnerID=40&md5=8e49fc5b196e9da88dabdf3dea3ecb9b
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.12719
ISSN: 13602276
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English