Assessment of Vitamin A supplementation coverage and associated barriers in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Mohammed Dantani Adamu, Nasiru Muhammad

Annals of Nigerian Medicine 2016 10(1):16-23

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the Vitamin A supplement (VAS) and measles vaccination coverage in a district of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Objectives: To determine the VAS and measles coverage in the district among children aged 6 months to 59 months and factors associated with nonuptake/poor uptake from provider's perspective. Methodology: Mothers of children aged 6–59 months or their caretakers were interviewed for data on demography, socioeconomic status of the family, knowledge of Vitamin A, and receiving VASs and measles vaccination. Reasons for not receiving supplement and measles vaccine were sought from mothers and health care workers. Results: A total of 900 children were enrolled from 20 clusters, of which 61.6% of children had received at least 1 dose of VAS in the past 12 months. Only 41.6% of the children received the two annual recommended doses of VAS. The measles vaccine coverage was 42.1%. After multivariate regression analysis, fathers' education (none or Islamic), mother's education (none or Islamic), mothers' occupation (manual, homemaker), and the child being female gender were found to be predictors of poor uptake of VAS. Fathers' disapproval was the most common barrier to uptake of both measles vaccine (64.8%) and VAS (69%) from both mothers' and health care workers' perspective. Conclusion: This study showed poor coverage of both VAS and measles vaccination among children in Gwadabawa district and fathers' disapproval was the major reason for poor uptake

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