Vaccination coverage of children up to two years of age, benefiting from the Bolsa Família Program, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the vaccinal coverage in agreement with the Brazilian National Immunization Program, among children benefiting from the Bolsa Familia Program, Brazil, according to the family's socioeconomic level and maternal characteristics. Methods: 3242 children were assessed between August/2018 and April/2019, of which 3008 were reassessed between September/2019 and January/2020. Multilevel models (level 3, state; level 2: municipality, level 1, children) were employed. Results: Coverage was 2.5 times higher in the first (61.0% – 95%CI 59.3;62.6%) than in the second follow-up (24.8% – 95%CI 22.8;25.9%) (p<0.001). In the first follow-up, coverage was higher in children in the richest quintile (67.9%) and whose mothers had ≥9 years of schooling (63.3%). There were no differences in the second follow-up. The highest coverage occurred between 0.5-2.5 months (93.5%) and 12.5-15.5 months (34.4%), respectively in the first and second follow-ups. Conclusion: The coverage of adequate vaccination was low, both in the first and second year of life.