الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Immunization is an effective public health intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality among infants. It is an important means of controlling diseases, and has been considered the most cost-effective health intervention.
Vaccines are among the most effective preventive health measures in reducing child mortality, morbidity, and disability.
Vaccination protects against 10 diseases (tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza type B).
The only human disease ever eradicated, smallpox, was eradicated using a vaccine, and a second, polio, is near eradication, also using vaccines. Vaccines not only provide individual protection for those persons who are vaccinated, they can also provide community protection by reducing the spread of disease within a population.
The aim of this study is to assess the mothers’ knowledge about Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) among mothers of children aged 0, 6 and 12 months who attending to El-Siouf Family Health Center (320 mothers).
An interviewing questionnaire having 29 questions was used to collect data to assess the knowledge of those mothers.
The following results were obtained:
Section I: description of the studied mothers according to:
1. Sociodemographic characterstics:
The majority of mothers (83.1%) aged from 20 to less than 35 years. More than a third (37.8%) of mothers and their husbands (34.4%) had university education or higher. Most of mothers (92.5%) were housewives. Their mean monthly income was 1664.22±812.60 L.E.
2. Family characterstics:
Nearly two thirds 64.4% of studied families were residing in urban areas and most of them (95.6%) had nuclear families.
3. Inf1nt’s data:
This study included 320 mothers. About a third of their children 32.27% were less than 40 days, 37.2% were 6 months and 30.6% were 12 months old. More than half (54.1%) of studied infants were males, 48.4% were the first born baby. Most (99.1%) of those infants were full term babies. The majority (86.6%) had normal birth weight.
4. Knowledge about expanded program on immunization:
Most of the mothers correctly mentioned 2, 4 and 6 months of age vaccinations (96.3%, 95.6% and 92.5% respectively).
The most commonly mentioned disease to be prevented by vaccination was poliomyelitis (77.8%) followed by measles (45.9%).
Nearly all (99.1%) studied mothers mentioned that side effects can occur following vaccination. The most commonly identified side effect was fever (99.1%).
Most of the mothers said that they can manage these symptoms at home. 40.3% of mothers knew that there are contraindications to vaccinations. Most (97.7%) of mothers mentioned severe illness, followed by (93%) current intake of antibiotics, about three quarters (76.7%) mentioned mild illness.
Most (91.3%) of mothers received their information about vaccinations from health care personnel.
Section II: the relation between mothers’ knowledge about EPI vaccination and age of their children
Mothers who attending for BCG vaccine knew more significantly about at birth vaccination compared to mothers of children aged 6 and 12 months, mothers (100%) attending for BCG vaccine knew more significantly timing of 2 months vaccination, than the mothers of the other two groups (p= <0.001).
Mothers whose children aged 6 months knew more significantly about timing of 4 months vaccination, than mothers of the other two groups
(p= 0.032).
The highest percentage of mothers who knew the timing of 6 months vaccination was among those whose children aged 12 months (p= < 0.001).
Mothers whose children aged 12 months knew timing of 9 months vaccination more significantly than mothers of the other two groups
(p= <0.001).
Mothers of children aged 12 months knew more significantly about the timing of 12 months and 18 months vaccination (p= <0.001).
More than a third (38.8%) of mothers whose children aged 0 months knew vaccines given in the first 24 hours of life.
Poliomyelitis was revealed more significantly by 84.7% of mothers whose children aged 12 months (p= 0.002).
Measles was recognized more significantly by mothers whose children aged 0 months (p= 0.046).
No one of mothers whose children aged 0 months knew about mumps compared to mothers of other two groups.
There were insignificant differences regarding the relation between mothers knowledge about that vaccines are given against German measles, whooping cough, tetanus and haemophilus influenza type B & age of their children.
All (100%) studied mothers of children in the three groups didn’t know types of vaccines.
Fever as a side effect mentioned by all mothers of three groups.
Pain and redness at site of injection mentioned more significantly by mothers whose children aged 0 months (p= < 0.001).
The most commonly mentioned side effect by all mothers of the three groups which requiring going to hospital was fever not responding to treatment.
Only minority of mothers whose children aged 6 months mentioned severe allergy as a side effect requiring going to hospital.
Mild illness, antibiotics and low birth weight were mentioned as contraindication for vaccination more by mothers whose children aged 12 months.
Severe illness was mentioned as a contraindication for vaccination more by the mothers whose children aged 6 months.
Chemo and radio therapy and low birth weight were more significantly mentioned as contraindications for vaccination more by the mothers whose children aged 0 months.
Section III: The relation between percent score of knowledge with other variables.
1. Sociodemographic characterstics:
The highest percent score of knowledge was significantly found among mothers aged more than 35 years with a mean of 49.03 ±15.73% (p= 0.001).
There was statistically significant difference (p= <0.001) in the percent score of knowledge in relation to the mother’s level of education where the highest mean percent score of knowledge was significantly more observed among those having a university education and higher (50.271±0.42%), followed by those having a secondary education (45.2±712.06%).
The highest percent score of knowledge in relation to husband’s level of education was found more significantly among those having university education or higher (49.63±10.94%), p= 0.002.
Regarding husband’s occupation the highest percent score of knowledge was significantly found among professional workers with a mean 49.21±11.15%.
2. Family characterstics
There was a statistically significant relation between percent score of knowledge and monthly income (p= 0.004) where the highest percent score of knowledge (50.08±10.07%) was among families whose monthly income was more than 3000 L.E.
No statistically significant difference observed in percent score of knowledge in relation to place of residence or type of family.
3. Infant’s data
The mean percent score of knowledge of mothers of children aged 6 and 12 months were insignificantly higher than the mean percent score of knowledge of mothers of 0 months old children (p= 0.428).
The mean percent score of knowledge of mothers in both males and females children were approximately equal.
The highest mean percent score of knowledge was significantly obtained by mothers of the fourth child (p= 0.001).
Prematurity, admission to NICU, birth weight and chronic illness of children had insignificantly relation to mean percent scores of their mothers’ knowledge.