Maternal Age and Educational Attainment in Relation to Reported Full Immunization of Children Under Five Years in Owerri Municipality, Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Childhood immunization is a major public-health intervention for preventing vaccine-preventable diseases, yet vaccination gaps remain substantial in Nigeria. Maternal characteristics, particularly age and educational attainment, may influence children's access to and use of immunization services. This study examined the descriptive pattern of reported full immunization according to maternal age and educational attainment among mothers of nursery-school children in Owerri Municipality, Imo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The population comprised 9,713 mothers of nursery-school children, from whom 398 mothers were selected using clustered sampling. Data were collected using the researcher-developed Maternal Factors on the Immunization Status of Under-5 Nursery Children Questionnaire, which had a reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation, with 2.50 as the criterion mean. Corrected maternal-age frequencies were used to reconcile an identified source discrepancy. Results revealed that mothers aged 21–25, 26–30, 31–35 and 36–40 years recorded mean scores of 2.79, 2.85, 2.85 and 2.85, respectively, while those aged 41–45 years recorded 1.73. The overall age mean was 2.61. Mothers with first-degree, postgraduate diploma, master's and doctoral qualifications recorded means of 3.33, 2.98, 3.03 and 2.67, respectively, compared with 1.66 among mothers with O-level education. The overall educational-attainment mean was 2.73. Reported full-immunization responses were generally favourable, except among mothers aged 41–45 years and those with O-level education. Primary healthcare providers and immunization programme managers should provide targeted, simplified immunization education and follow-up for mothers with less favourable response patterns, while nursery-school administrators should provide vaccination reminders and referral information. Community health workers should provide age-responsive counselling for mothers to strengthen timely vaccination.