KEYWORDS:
immunization; childhood

BACKGROUND:
Although research concerning factors possibly associated with failure of a child to be up-to-date on immunizations continues, little has been done to identify children with no vaccinations against one or more diseases.

OBJECTIVE:
To test for associations between demographic characteristics and receiving zero vaccinations.

METHOD:
Data from the 2001 National Immunization Survey (NIS) were analyzed to calculate national estimates of the percentage of children, aged 19-35 months, receiving no vaccinations against each of: hepatitis B (HepB); diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis (DTP); Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB); polio; measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); and varicella. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine associations with demographic characteristics.

RESULT:
In 2001, of the 23,641 children in the NIS with usable provider-reported vaccination data or for whom the respondent reported the child received no vaccines, the percentage of children with zero vaccines for HepB was 2.1%, for DTP 2.4%, for HIB 1.5%, for MMR 9.0%, for polio 2.0%, and for varicella 22.2%. In both bivariate and multivariate analyses, there were significant associations between missing all shots for at least one of these vaccine series and: having a larger number of children in the household, not being first-born, having a below-poverty level status, and not residing in an metropolitan statistical area (all P<0.01). Being of Hispanic ethnicity had a protective effect (P<0.01), while education, marital status, and age of mother were not statistically significant when adjusted for number of children, first born status, poverty, and area of residence.

CONCLUSION:
Receiving no vaccinations against certain diseases is associated with several demographic characteristics.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To examine demographic factors possibly associated with a child receiving no vaccines against certain diseases.