[Impact of parental attitudes on infant vaccinal coverage in Benin]. / Influence de certaines caractéristiques parentales sur la couverture vaccinale des nourrissons au Bénin.

Few studies have addressed the impact of parental attitudes on vaccinal coverage in early childhood. The purpose of this descriptive-analytical transverse study was to assess this problem in a cohort of parents with a 12- to 23-month-old child randomly identified by cluster analysis in five communities in the Oueme department. Data were collected using a questionnaire and tabulation sheet. Statistical analysis was performed by logistic regression using the stepwise digression method. Most of the 438 parents in the study cohort (74.2%) were between 21 and 35 years of age. More than half had not attended school and less than 20% were unemployed. The proportion refusing vaccination for their children was 35% among parents who had to walk more than 30 minutes back and forth to the health care facility and 38% among parents who had poor knowledge about vaccination. The refusal rate was 1.4 times higher for parents with no education than for parents who had attended school (P=0.005). Poor parental knowledge about vaccination was significantly correlated with refusal of vaccination (p<0.001). This study suggests that communication strategies aimed at enhancing parental knowledge and understanding about vaccination should be promoted at health care facilities as well as through other channels, e.g., news media and public events such as social and religious gatherings.

Influence de certaines caracteristiques parentales sur la couverture vaccinale des nourrissons au Benin

Les obstacles a la couverture vaccinale de la premiere enfance lies aux comportements des parents ont ete peu etudies. Nous les avons recherches au Benin grace a une etude transversale descriptive analytique des personnes ayant a charge un enfant de 12 a 23 mois revolus et choisies aleatoirement par la technique de grappes dans cinq communes du departement de l'Oueme. Les informations ont ete recueillies a l'aide d'un questionnaire et d'une fiche de depouillement. Une regression logistique a ete realisee selon la methode degressive pas a pas. Parmi 438 parents; 74;2etaient ages de 21 a 35 ans; plus de la moitie n'avait pas ete scolarisee et moins de 20etaient sans emploi. Les proportions de parents n'adherant pas a la vaccination etaient de 35quand la distance a pied par rapport a la formation sanitaire etait de plus de 30 minutes de marche (aller-retour); et de 38lorsque le niveau de connaissance etait faible. La proportion de parents non adherents a la vaccination etait 1;4 fois plus elevee chez ceux n'ayant pas ete scolarises que chez ceux ayant ete scolarises (p=0;05). Le faible niveau de connaissance des parents sur la vaccination etait significativement associe a la non adhesion des parents a la vaccination (p0;001). Cette etude suggere qu'il faudrait privilegier les strategies visant a elever le niveau d'information et de connaissances des parents et des communautes sur le theme de la vaccination; au sein du service de sante; et dans tous les autres secteurs de la communication : medias et organisations sociales et religieuses