Tracking Childhood Vaccination Trends by Race: Analyzing MMR-Only, DTaP-Only, and Varicella-Only Vaccine Coverage Rates from 2016-2022
Gallagher, Victoria
Citations
Abstract
Declining vaccination rates due to factors like hesitancy and access issues during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, have spurred outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles and pertussis. This capstone analyzes vaccination coverage for MMR-only, DTaP-only, and Varicella-only shots among children from 2016 to 2022, focusing on racial disparities. Data from the National Immunization Surveys (NIS) informed the analysis, encompassing 118,323 children. Odds ratios from a multivariable logistic regression were used to perform this analysis, and statistical significance was determined using a 95% confidence interval (CI). Black children had lower odds of MMR and Varicella vaccination compared to White children (OR: 0.81 and 0.84), while children of Other + Multiple race showed similar trends (OR: 0.94 for both vaccines). For DTaP, Black children had lower odds (OR: 0.84), whereas no significant difference was found for Other + Multiple race children (OR: 0.98). Yearly analysis showed a 3% increase in odds for MMR and Varicella vaccination but there was a 7% decrease in the odds of receiving a DTaP vaccine. DTaP coverage fluctuated across racial groups. Overall, while MMR and Varicella coverage remained stable or increased, DTaP rates varied among White, Black and Other + Multiple race children.
