Polio Immunization Social Norms in Kano State, Nigeria: Implications for Designing Polio Immunization Information and Communication Programs for Routine Immunization Services

This study explored polio immunization social norms in Kano State, Nigeria, one of the last polio endemic regions in the world. The study aimed to answer the following research question: what polio immunization social norms exist in Kano, Nigeria? Social norm theory was adopted as a framework to guide the study. An interpretative research paradigm and qualitative method guided data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, and discussion of findings. Twenty-six parents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The author used an analytic inductive process to identify 234 narratives explaining polio immunization social norms. The narratives are organized into 10 recurring topics and further collapsed into three emergent categories to explain the polio immunization social norms. Findings interpreted using social norms theory suggest that for there to be a sustained acceptance of polio vaccines through routine immunization, polio information programs must take account of the social norms of parents who are resistance to polio immunization in polio endemic regions. Future research areas for sustained acceptance of the polio vaccines through routine immunization are identified.