Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Immunization Among Care Takers in Namuwongo.
Abstract
The study was carried out to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice on immunization among care takers of children below five Years in Namuwongo. Many challenges were faced, including accessibility, language barrier as well as intimidation, bearing in mind that Namuwongo is an informal urban settlement, home to many people who are internally displaced persons (IDPs) from zones of violence in Uganda or refugees who fled from neighboring countries such as DR Congo and South Sudan. These residents face many problems, such as unemployment, low quality shelter, high crime rates, drug abuse, poor and insufficient infrastructures and low literacy levels.
Problem: Namuwongo village is heavily populated and majority of her inhabitants dwell in congested environments prone to many vaccine preventable diseases. It is one of the suburbs in Kampala that has less educated residents with one health center therefore making it a barrier to utilization of immunization services. Therefore, in case this continues the nation will have persistent mortalities and morbidities.
Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practice on immunization among care takers of children below five years in Namuwongo village.
Methodology: The study was carried out from the 25 th October, 2014, to 15th November, 2014. 200 participants were interviewed using a researcher administered questionnaire, with the help of research assistants. A cross sectional, descriptive study was carried out to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practices towards immunization among the care takers of children who are below five years in Namuwongo community.
The data was collected using the researcher administered questionnaires that was presented to the
respondents who consented and were willing to take part in the study. Pre-coded self administered questionnaires were administered by the researcher and the research assistants to collect data from the respondents.
The data was presented in tables, bars and pie charts.
Findings/Results: The study findings showed poor immunization practices among the care takers of children below five years in Namuwongo. The average was found to be 61% immunization coverage of children below five years in Namuwongo. The recommended immunization coverage by WHO is 90%. The finding of this study revealed discrepancies in poor immunization practices as compared to the recommended coverage. A low level of knowledge on immunization was demonstrated in Namuwongo community. However, the
respondents showed a positive attitude towards immunization of the children, with a significant number of respondents believing that immunization protects children against deadly diseases.
Conclusions and recommendations:
The care takers should be educated about the immunization. The education should be based on the diseases the children should be immunized against, and the immunization schedule.
The attitude of the care takers should be boosted by putting more emphasis on the importance of
immunization and the dangers of not immunizing the children below five years.
The care takers should be motivated through community based health education to take the children below five years for immunization according to the Uganda immunization schedule.
Collections
- Bachelors in Nursing [415]