KNOWLEDGE AND CONFOUNDING VARIABLES:

171 parents of children aged 6-12 months old were assessed regarding their knowledge
on immunization and how confounding variables such as age, sex, marital status, educational
attainment, occupational status, birth order, and place of delivery can possibly affect the
independent variable.
Based from the results, the confounding variable sex has a strongly significant
relationship with knowledge, as shown by the value of p=0.004 (p<0.05) after the t-test analysis
was used. Fathers who have high knowledge regarding the different vaccines and the diseases
prevented by these vaccines were seen to have completely immunized children (Smith, 2010).
However, mothers who have received higher level of education were more likely to be receptive
towards the idea of immunization, hence, increasing the chance in completing immunization
(Tagbo et al., 2012; Vikram, Vanneman & Desai, 2012). Immunization rates rose sharply with
mothers as they are the ones who usually bring their children to the health center for
immunization. Health ediucations are frequently given at the health center, which then empowers
them and thus, was positively associated with child’s immunization (Vikram, Vanneman &
Desai, 2012).

For the confounding variable occupational status, a t-test showed that there is a non-
significant relationship between the specified variable and knowledge. Meanwhile, in the
confounding variables educational attainment and birth order, a Spearman’s rho data analysis
showed that there is a significant but weak negative correlation, r = -.076 and r=-.019,
respectively. An interesting finding is that as educational attainment increases, the knowledge
about immunization decreases. This is supported by the fact that even though a person is more
literate, it does not mean that he or she knows more about immunizations. As explained in the
study by Angadi et al. (2013), even though more than half of their population of respondents are
illiterate, majority of the respondents (65.16%) opined that diseases could be prevented by
immunization, and this was attributed to the health educations given at the health center. Lastly,
for knowledge and age, a Pearson’s correlation coefficient data analysis showed that there is a
significant but weak negative correlation, r= -.086. This means that as the age of the mother
increases, knowledge is found to decrease. According to Bernsen et al. (2011), regardless of
education, knowledge or number of children, in older women, knowledge is found to be lower
as this reflects a higher prevalence of traditional nihilistic views, such as destiny being the cause
of disease.

References:

Angadi, M. M., Jose, A. P., Udgiri, R., Masali, K. A., & Sorganvi, V. (2013). A study of
knowledge, attitude and practices on immunization of children in urban slums of Bijapur
city, Karnataka, India. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, 7(12), 2803.

Bernsen, R. M., Al-Zahmi, F. R., Al-Ali, N. A., Hamoudi, R. O., Ali, N. A., Schneider, J., ... &
Grivna, M. (2011). Knowledge, attitude and practice towards immunizations among
mothers in a traditional city in the United Arab Emirates. J Med Sci, 4(3), 114-121.
Smith, P. J., Humiston, S. G., Parnell, T., Vannice, K. S., & Salmon, D. A. (2010). The
association between intentional delay of vaccine administration and timely childhood
vaccination coverage. Public health reports, 125(4), 534-541.

Tagbo, B. N., Uleanya, N. D., Nwokoye, I. C., Eze, J. C., & Omotowo, I. B. (2012). Mothers’
knowledge, perception and practice of childhood immunization in Enugu. Nigerian
Journal of paediatrics, 39(3), 90-96.

Vikram, K., Vanneman, R., & Desai, S. (2012). Linkages between maternal education and
childhood immunization in India. Social science & medicine, 75(2), 331-339.