Does Unintended Birth Lead to Zero-dose of DPT Vaccine Among Children Aged 12-23 Months in India?

Ajeet Singh, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Ajay Verma, Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Zero-dose children, who have not received any vaccines, present a significant challenge in immunization programs, as they reflect gaps in healthcare access and service utilization. This study, using data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) 2019-21, analyzed information from 43,247 children aged 12-23 months to explore the association between unintended pregnancies and zero-dose status for the DPT vaccine. Sociodemographic factors such as birth order, wealth, gender, social group, religion, residence, and maternal education were considered. The results revealed that 9.14% of children from unintended pregnancies were zero-dose for the DPT vaccine, compared to 6.69% from intended pregnancies. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression indicated that children from unintended births had 1.21 times higher odds of being zero-dose compared to those from intended births (AOR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06-1.38). This finding underscores the potential impact of unintended pregnancies on vaccine uptake and highlights healthcare disparities. As zero-dose immunization becomes a key indicator in global frameworks like Immunization Agenda 2030 and Gavi’s 2021-25 strategy, these results emphasize the need for targeted interventions in low- and middle-income countries to reduce zero-dose rates and improve immunization coverage among vulnerable populations.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth

See paper.