Vaccination Coverage and Associated factors among Children in Southwest Ethiopia Peoples’ Region

Introduction: Routine childhood vaccination (BCG, pentavalent, OPV, PCV, rotavirus, and measles as per Ethiopia’s EPI schedule) is highly effective in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases; in Southwest Ethiopia, coverage remains suboptimal due to health service, socio-demographic, and knowledge-related barriers. Objective: To evaluate vaccination status and identify associated factors among children in Southwest Ethiopia Method: A community-based cross-sectional design was used to conduct the study in the Bench Sheko zone from July 1–30, 2022. The simple random sampling technique was used to select 731 households’ data. The data was collected on four variables and entered into Epidata version 4.0.2 and exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis on a logistic regression model. Finally, a p-value of 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval was used to determine the statistical significance of factors associated with vaccination coverage. Result: The total vaccination coverage was 584 (79.9%) (95% CI 77.2, 82.8%). Post-natal care (PNC) service follow-up (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.4), antenatal care (ANC) follow-up (AOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 4.2), and knowledge about vaccination (AOR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.49, 3.49) were factors associated with full vaccination coverage. Conclusion: The vaccination coverage was lower than the target set by the 2030 Immunization Agenda (90%). Prenatal care follow-up, knowledge about vaccination, and postnatal care follow-up were significantly associated with vaccination coverage. Healthcare officials at all levels and policymakers are advised to focus on education to improve vaccine coverage