Universal Immunization Programme

The study analyses the effects of some selected demographic and socioeconomic predictor variables on likelihood of immunization of a child for six vaccine-preventable diseases covered under UIP from the demand-side assuming ceteris paribus supply-side bottlenecks. It focuses on immunization coverage a) in all India b) in rural and urban areas in India c) for DPT Polio and partial immunization in India d) for three groups of states namely Empowered Action Group North-Eastern and other states and e) for three states namely Bihar Tamilnadu and West Bengal. The study applies logistic regression model to National Family Health Survey-2 (1998-99) data. Excepting a few cases the results are consistent across different models. Likelihood increases with residence mother’s education level mother’s exposure to mass media mother’s awareness about immunization antenatal care during pregnancy standard of living index of household electricity female household-headship mother’s empowerment index and sex of the child; it decreases with birth-order irrespective of the sex of the child. Religion caste/ tribe and zone of states also have some effects.