Positive Role of Maternal Education on Measles Vaccination Coverage in Bangladesh

Despite increased funding in measles vaccination programs by national governments and international aid agencies, basic factors hinder achievement of childhood measles immunization to levels compatible with other EPI (extended program on immunization) vaccines. One of such factors is maternal education status. This study aims to demonstrate the eventual influence of maternal education status on measles vaccination coverage among children of age 9 to 59 months in Bangladesh. A nationally representative data Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007 was used for this purpose. Sample size for this study was 3916 children from the different part of the country born within last five years preceding the survey. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the influence of maternal education on uptake of measles vaccination as well as other relevant variables such as place of residence, media exposure, birth order, sex of the child etc. The results of the analysis show that mother’s education level is positively and statistically significantly associated with the likelihood of a child being vaccinated for measles after controlling for all other potential factors.