The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood vaccination rates and the role of sociodemographic factors: A cohort study.

Autor: Gómez-Acebo I; Preventive Medicine Group, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain, IDIVAL-Valdecilla Health Research Institute, Santander, Spain, CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: ines.gomez@unican.es., Barquín-Ruiz A; Preventive Medicine Group, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain., Llorente S; Department of Pediatrics, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Santander, Spain. IDIVAL-Valdecilla Health Research Institute, Santander, Spain., Alonso-Molero J; Preventive Medicine Group, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain, IDIVAL-Valdecilla Health Research Institute, Santander, Spain, CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain., Llorca J; Preventive Medicine Group, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain; Retired Professor, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain., Cabero-Perez MJ; Department of Pediatrics, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Santander, Spain. IDIVAL-Valdecilla Health Research Institute, Santander, Spain., Dierssen-Sotos T; Preventive Medicine Group, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain, IDIVAL-Valdecilla Health Research Institute, Santander, Spain, CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Vaccine [Vaccine] 2024 Sep 17; Vol. 42 (22), pp. 126207. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 08.
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126207
Abstrakt: Objective: This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both routine and non-routine vaccinations in infants during their initial 18 months of life, concurrently exploring the complex influence of sociodemographic factors.
Methods: A cohort study was conducted, involving 2007 children in two distinct periods: pre-pandemic (January-June 2018) and pandemic (March 2020-May 2021). Participants were classified into two cohorts: 962 children in the 2018 group and 1045 children in the 2020-21 group. Utilizing unconditional logistic regression, the association between vaccination (complete or non-routine) and socioeconomic factors was examined, with adjustments for potential confounding variables such as age, breastfeeding, gestational age, and twins.
Results: The study's analysis reveals that in the post-pandemic period, mothers were three times more likely to opt for non-routine vaccines (95% CI 2.25-4.23). However, no significant alterations were observed in routine vaccination rates. Protective factors for complete vaccination included having an employed mother, higher education, and a medium-to-high income. Conversely, a higher income was associated with a reduced likelihood of complete vaccination (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.20-0.59).
Conclusion: Contrary to initial expectations, this study concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a substantial impact on childhood complete vaccination rates. Nevertheless, a noticeable increase in the choice of non-routine vaccination was observed. Sociodemographic factors, such as maternal education, income, and employment status, emerged as key influencers, particularly in the context of deciding on non-routine vaccinations.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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