Vaccination Timeliness Among US Children Aged 0-19 Months, National Immunization Survey-Child 2011-2021.

Importance: Delays in receiving vaccinations lead to greater vaccine-preventable disease risk. Timeliness of receipt of recommended vaccinations is not routinely tracked in the US, either overall or for populations that have known barriers to accessing routine health care, including lower-income families and children. Objective: To measure vaccination timeliness among US children aged 0 to 19 months, overall and by socioeconomic indicators. Design, Setting, and Participants: This serial, cross-sectional study analyzed nationally representative data from the 2011 to 2021 National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child), an annual survey of parents, with immunization histories collected from clinicians administering vaccines. The 2020 and 2021 surveys largely reflected vaccinations in the US before the COVID-19 pandemic. Study participants included US children surveyed at ages 19 to 35 months. Data were analyzed from January to August 2023. Exposure: Survey year. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were average days undervaccinated (ADU) and percentage of children who received all vaccine doses on time (ie, 0 days undervaccinated) for the combined 7-vaccine series up to age 19 months. The mean adjusted annual change in on-time vaccination by socioeconomic indicators was calculated by use of multivariable log-linked binomial regression models. Results: The surveys included 179 154 children (92 248 boys [51.2%]); 74 479 (31.4%, weighted) lived above the federal poverty level with more than $75 000 in annual family income, 58 961 (32.4%) lived at or above the poverty level with $75 000 or less in annual family income, and 39 564 (30.2%) lived below the poverty level. Overall, the median (IQR) ADU for the combined 7-vaccine series in the US decreased from 22.3 (0.4-71.5) days in the 2011 survey to 11.9 (0.0-55.5) days in the 2021 survey. The prevalence of on-time receipt of the combined 7-vaccine series increased from 22.5% (95% CI, 21.4%-23.6%) to 35.6% (95% CI, 34.2%-37.0%). Although children with more than $75 000 in annual family income had a 4.6% (95% CI, 4.0%-5.2%) mean annual increase in on-time vaccination, the mean annual increase was 2.8% (95% CI, 2.0%-3.6%) for children living at or above the poverty level with $75 000 or less in annual family income and 2.0% (95% CI, 1.0%-3.0%) for children living below the poverty level. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of NIS-Child data, improvements in vaccination timeliness were observed from the 2011 to the 2021 survey. However, widening disparities by socioeconomic indicators signal that increased efforts to facilitate timely vaccination among children in lower-income families are needed.

Failure to Complete Multidose Vaccine Series in Early Childhood.

BACKGROUND: Most early childhood immunizations require 3 to 4 doses to achieve optimal protection. Our objective was to identify factors associated with starting but not completing multidose vaccine series. METHODS: Using 2019 National Immunization Survey-Child data, US children ages 19 to 35 months were classified in 1 of 3 vaccination patterns: (1) completed the combined 7-vaccine series, (2) did not initiate ≥1 of the 7 vaccine series, or (3) initiated all series, but did not complete ≥1 multidose series. Associations between sociodemographic factors and vaccination pattern were evaluated using multivariable log-linked binomial regression. Analyses accounted for the survey's stratified design and complex weighting. RESULTS: Among 16 365 children, 72.9% completed the combined 7-vaccine series, 9.9% did not initiate ≥1 series, and 17.2% initiated, but did not complete ≥1 multidose series. Approximately 8.4% of children needed only 1 additional vaccine dose from 1 of the 5 multidose series to complete the combined 7-vaccine series. The strongest associations with starting but not completing multidose vaccine series were moving across state lines (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-1.79), number of children in the household (2 to 3: aPR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.05-1.58; 4 or more: aPR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.30-2.18), and lack of insurance coverage (aPR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.42-2.91). CONCLUSIONS: More than 1 in 6 US children initiated but did not complete all doses in multidose vaccine series, suggesting children experienced structural barriers to vaccination. Increased focus on strategies to encourage multidose series completion is needed to optimize protection from preventable diseases and achieve vaccination coverage goals.

Nurses' perceptions, experiences, and practices regarding human papillomavirus vaccination: results from a cross-sectional survey in Montana.

BACKGROUND: Nationally, much of the focus on improving human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake has been on effective strategies that physicians use to promote vaccination. However, in large, predominately rural states like Montana, nurses and medical assistants play critical roles in immunization services delivery, and their viewpoints are imperative in designing strategies to increase vaccination rates. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study to determine nurses' perceptions, experiences, and practices regarding human papillomavirus vaccination in a rural and medically underserved region of the United States. METHODS: We designed, pilot-tested, and disseminated an online survey instrument to nurses and medical assistants working in clinics participating in the Vaccines for Children program in Montana. The online surveys were administered from November 2020 to March 2021. Survey questions focused on clinic vaccination practices, respondents' perceptions of the HPV vaccine, perceived barriers to vaccine uptake, and general opinions on potential strategies to improve HPV vaccination rates. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 227 respondents. Overall, 90% of nurses strongly agreed or agreed that the HPV vaccine is important and had confidence in the vaccine's safety. More nurses reported experiencing greater parental vaccine refusal or delay for male patients regardless of age. About 53.7% of nurses reported that their clinics had reminder/recall systems to encourage parents to bring their children for vaccination. Nurses identified misinformation from social media, infrequent wellness visits, and vaccine safety concerns as barriers to HPV vaccine uptake. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings identified several promising initiatives to accelerate vaccination in primarily rural states like Montana, including promoting widespread adoption of reminder/recall systems, training nurses in evidence-based techniques to provide strong vaccine recommendations, and leveraging social media to disseminate consistent messages about the HPV vaccine recommendations for both sexes and its role in cancer prevention.

Childhood Vaccination Practices and Parental Hesitancy Barriers in Rural and Urban Primary Care Settings.

The purpose of our study was to identify primary care providers' (PCPs') practices in promoting childhood vaccination and their perceptions regarding barriers to vaccination in a primarily rural state. In January-May 2022, we conducted a mail and online survey of PCPs across Montana (n = 829). The survey included modules on routine immunizations in children 0-2 years old and COVID-19 vaccination in children 5-17 years old. The survey response rate was 36% (298/829). We categorized PCPs as working in rural (n = 218) or urban areas (n = 80), based on Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes. We then compared responses between rural and urban PCPs using chi-square tests. Urban PCPs (90-94%, depending on vaccine) stocked routinely recommended vaccines more frequently than rural PCPs (71-84%), but stocked the COVID-19 vaccine less often than rural PCPs (44% vs. 71%, respectively, p < 0.001). A higher percentage of rural providers reported parental beliefs that vaccine-preventable diseases are not severe enough to warrant vaccination (48% vs. 31%, p = 0.01) and concerns that vaccination will weaken their child's immune system (29% vs. 6%, p < 0.001). More rural (74%) compared to urban (59%) PCPs identified a social media campaign from local health departments promoting early childhood vaccinations as an effective strategy to increase childhood vaccination rates (p = 0.01). We identified key differences in some childhood vaccination practices and barriers between rural and urban PCPs. Interventions to increase rural vaccination rates could include increasing the number of providers stocking all recommended vaccines, identifying strategies to address parents' concerns regarding vaccine necessity, and collaborations with public health departments.

Geographic proximity to immunization providers and vaccine series completion among children ages 0-24 months.

OBJECTIVES: In the U.S., vaccination coverage is lower in rural versus urban areas. Spatial accessibility to immunization services has been a suspected risk factor for undervaccination in rural children. Our objective was to identify whether geographic factors, including driving distance to immunization providers, were associated with completion of recommended childhood vaccinations. METHODS: We analyzed records from Montana's immunization information system for children born 2015-2017. Using geolocated address data, we calculated distance in road miles from children's residences to the nearest immunization provider. A multivariable log-linked binomial mixed model was used to identify factors associated with completion of the combined 7-vaccine series by age 24 months. RESULTS: Among 26,085 children, 16,503 (63.3%) completed the combined 7-vaccine series by age 24 months. Distance to the nearest immunization provider ranged from 0 to 81.0 miles (median = 1.7; IQR = 3.2), with the majority (92.1%) of children living within 10 miles of a provider. Long distances (>10 miles) to providers had modest associations with not completing the combined 7-vaccine series (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96-0.99). After adjustment for other factors, children living in rural areas (measured by rural-urban commuting area) were significantly less likely to have completed the combined 7-vaccine series than children in metropolitan areas (aPR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.85-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Long travel distances do not appear to be a major barrier to childhood vaccination in Montana. Other challenges, including limited resources for clinic-based strategies to promote timely vaccination and parental vaccine hesitancy, may have greater influence on rural childhood vaccination.

Evaluating vaccination coverage and timeliness in American Indian/Alaska Native and non-Hispanic White children using state immunization information system data, 2015-2017.

Comprehensive estimates of vaccination coverage and timeliness of vaccine receipt among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children in the United States are lacking. This study's objectives were to quantify vaccination coverage and timeliness, as well as the proportion of children with specific undervaccination patterns, among AI/AN and non-Hispanic White (NHW) children ages 0-24 months in Montana, a large and primarily rural U.S. state. Data from Montana's immunization information system (IIS) for children born 2015-2017 were used to calculate days undervaccinated for all doses of seven recommended vaccine series. After stratifying by race/ethnicity, up-to-date coverage at key milestone ages and the proportion of children demonstrating specific patterns of undervaccination were reported. Among n = 3,630 AI/AN children, only 23.1% received all recommended vaccine doses on-time (i.e., zero days undervaccinated), compared to 40.4% of n = 18,022 NHW children (chi-square p < 0.001). A greater proportion of AI/AN children were delayed at each milestone age, resulting in lower overall combined 7-vaccine series completion, by age 24 months (AI/AN: 56.6%, NHW: 64.3%, chi-square p < 0.001). As compared with NHW children, a higher proportion of AI/AN children had undervaccination patterns suggestive of structural barriers to accessing immunization services and delayed starts to vaccination. More than three out of four AI/AN children experienced delays in vaccination or were missing doses needed to complete recommended vaccine series. Interventions to ensure on-time initiation of vaccine series at age 2 months, as well initiatives to encourage completion of multi-dose vaccine series, are needed to reduce immunization disparities and increase vaccination coverage among AI/AN children in Montana.

Barriers to and facilitators of early childhood immunization in rural areas of the United States: A systematic review of the literature.

Early childhood vaccination rates are lower in rural areas of the U.S. compared with suburban and urban areas. Our aim was to identify barriers to and facilitators of early childhood immunization in rural U.S. communities. We completed a systematic review of original research conducted in the U.S. between January 1, 2000-July 25, 2021. We searched PubMed, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Web of Science. We included studies that examined barriers to and facilitators of routine immunizations in children <36 months old in rural areas. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, we reported studies' methodologies and targeted populations, definitions of rurality, and common themes across studies that reflected barriers to or facilitators of vaccination. Ultimately, 17 papers met inclusion criteria for review. The majority of studies (10/17) were conducted within one U.S. state, and the same number (10/17) were conducted prior to 2005. Facilitators of vaccine uptake in rural communities identified across studies included reminder/recall systems and parents' relationships with providers. Parental hesitancy, negative clinic experiences, referrals outside of primary care settings, and distance to providers were identified as barriers to vaccination in rural settings. This review revealed a limited scope of evidence on barriers to and facilitators of early childhood immunization in rural communities. More investigations of the causes of low vaccine coverage and the effectiveness of interventions for increasing vaccine uptake are urgently needed in rural pediatric populations to address persistent rural-urban immunization disparities.

Missed opportunities for human papillomavirus vaccine series initiation in a large, rural U.S. state.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates are lower in rural versus urban areas of the United States. Our objective was to identify the types of vaccination clinic settings where missed opportunities for HPV vaccine series initiation most frequently occurred in Montana, a large, primary rural U.S. state. We analyzed a limited dataset from Montana's immunization information system for adolescents who turned 11 years old in 2014-2017. Vaccination visits where the HPV vaccine was due but not administered were missed opportunities. We compared missed opportunities across six types of clinic settings, and calculated adjusted relative risks (RR) using a generalized estimating equation model. Among n = 47,622 adolescents, 53.9% of 71,447 vaccination visits were missed opportunities. After adjusting for sex, age, and rurality of clinic location, receiving vaccines in public health departments was significantly associated with higher risk of missed opportunities (aRR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval = 1.22-1.27, vs. private clinics). Receipt of vaccines in Indian Health Services and Tribal clinics was associated with fewer missed opportunities (aRR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.69-0.75, vs. private clinics). Our results indicate the need for interventions to promote HPV vaccine uptake in public health departments, which are a critical source of immunization services in rural and medically underserved areas of the U.S.