Trend and determinants of complete vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months in Ghana: Analysis of data from the 1998 to 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is proven to be one of the most cost-effective measures adopted to improve the health of children globally. Adhering to vaccines for children has the propensity to prevent about 1.5 million annual child deaths globally. This study sought to assess the trend and determinants of complete vaccination coverage among children aged 12–23 months in Ghana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was based on data from four rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2014). Information on 5,119 children aged 12–23 months were extracted from the children’s files. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the factors associated with complete vaccination and statistical significance was pegged at p<0.05. RESULTS: We found that complete vaccination coverage increased from 85.1% in 1998 to 95.2% in 2014. Children whose mothers were in rural areas [aOR = 0.45; CI = 0.33–0.60] had lower odds of getting complete vaccination, compared to those whose mothers were in urban areas. Also, children whose mothers had a secondary level of education [aOR = 1.87; CI = 1.39–2.50] had higher odds of receiving complete vaccination, compared to those whose mothers had no formal education. Children whose mothers were either Traditionalists [aOR = 0.60; CI = 0.42–0.84] or had no religion [aOR = 0.58, CI = 0.43–0.79] had lower odds of receiving complete vaccination, compared to children whose mothers were Christians. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that there has been an increase in the coverage of complete vaccination from 1998 to 2014 in Ghana. Mother’s place of residence, education, and religious affiliation were significantly associated with full childhood vaccination. Although there was an increase in complete childhood vaccination, it is imperative to improve health education and expand maternal and child health services to rural areas and among women with no formal education to further increase complete vaccination coverage in Ghana.