Effects of Differential Household Characteristics on Immunization Coverage for Children Aged 12-23 Months in Alego Usonga, Nyakach and Butere Sub Counties, Kenya

Immunisation remains one of the most important public health interventions to reduce child morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to analyse the differential effects of household characteristics on immunisation coverage for children aged 12-23 months in Butere, Nyakach and Alego Usonga Sub Counties in Western Kenya. The specific objectives were: to describe the household characteristics, to determine the level of immunisation coverage by antigens and lastly, to analyse the association of household characteristics with immunisation. The study design was analytical statistics utilising secondary data that was collected during a larger study on community health units’ systems strengthening in three Sub Counties with a total number of 11,160 households. The findings established that there existed varied distributions in proportions for the household characteristics within the regions. The study also revealed that there was a high proportion of the different antigens examined. Finally, the study established that there exists a significant association between different household characteristics and immunisation coverage in all three sites. In Alego Usonga significant association between all the five household characteristics (education level of household headship, staple food availability, latrine availability, water treatment, and housing type) and immunisation. Butere recorded a significant association between two household characteristics (education and housing type) and immunisation coverage, and lastly, Nyakach displayed latrine and food availability to be significant associations with immunisation coverage. The study makes four recommendations for; stakeholders, policymakers, health service providers, and researchers regarding the importance of differential household characteristics in relation to improving immunisation coverage in the population.