Immunisation coverage in Australian children: a systematic review 1990-1998 - Tables 1-4

This report, published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23 Number 6, 10 June 1999, contains a review on immunisation coverage in Australian children, 1990-1998, by the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register. This section of the report contains the abstract, summary, introduction, background and methods. The full report can be viewed in 7 HTML documents and is also available in PDF format.

Page last updated: 21 June 1999

Susan Lister,1 Peter B McIntyre,1A Burgess,1 Eddie D O'Brien2

Table 1 | Table 2 | Table 3 | Table 4


Table 1. Immunisation coverage: Population-based studies (national and regional) with high response rates

Study
Location
Design
Final sample size and age
Response rate* (%)
Strategy and date
Validation
ABS (1989)6 Australia (national) Cross-sectional population survey Multistage, random sample of 12,732 children aged 0-14 years 96% Household interviews with data for children 0-14 years collected by parental report Parent Held Record (PHR) consulted in 45% cases
ABS (1995)5 Australia (national) Cross-sectional population survey 14,591 children aged 0-14 years (6,768 aged 0-6 years) >95% Household interviews. Parental report PHR consulted in 61% cases
Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR)18 Australia (national) Birth cohort, Immunisation Register All Australian children aged 0-6 years (birth cohort 259,167 children in 1996) >76% NSW >86% Victoria Providers submit immunisation data to national database Provider held records used
Victorian Maternal and Child Health database7 Victoria (state-wide) Birth cohort using MCH records All children age 0-6 years attending maternal and child health clinics (birth cohort 62,857 children in 1996) 90% of all births, decreasing with increased age MCH nurses collect data and this is collated annually Use verified records
Carnie J et al 1995116 Three areas of metropolitan Melbourne Cross-sectional population survey Cluster sample (WHO method) of 630 children aged 18 months to 3 years N/A Household interviews in 1991. Parental report PHR or provider held records used
Thorman et al (1997)11 Northern Territory (NT) (state-wide) Birth cohort, Immunisation Register All children born after January 1996 (part of ACIR) (birth cohort 35,000 in 1996) 87% Providers submit immunisation data to NT database Provider held records used
Mitchell et al (1997)10 Darwin urban area Birth cohort, Immunisation Register All children immunised in Darwin urban area (approx birth cohort 2,500 in 1995) 91% Providers submit immunisation data to database Provider held records used
Skinner et al (1995)110 Northern Sydney Health region Birth cohort (retrospective) 1,004 children aged 2 years from a 3 month birth cohort 58% Parent questionnaire (sent by mail) in 1994 Providers contacted. 60% agreement with parents
Herceg et al (1995)113 Newcastle, NSW Cross-sectional population survey Cluster sample of 187 children aged 2 years 97% Household interviews in 1994. Parental report PHR or provider held record
Sullivan et al (1998)124 NSW Cross-sectional population survey Multistage, random sample of 322 children aged 3-24 months 100% Household interviews undertaken in 1992 PHR only (produced in 84% of cases)
Bond et al (1998)17 NW Melbourne Victoria Randomised controlled trial 405 children 9 months or 16 months 100% Children on the ACIR who were late for their vaccinations were randomised with 2 arms to evaluate a home vaccination service PHR and provider held records used
Parker et al (1996)8 Darling Downs, SW Queensland Birth cohort, Immunisation Register 50,000 vaccination events for children born 1994 onwards N/A Vaccination rates calculated from vaccination events Provider held records used
Guthridge et al (1993)112 NT (remote Aboriginal communities in 3 districts) Birth cohort, Immunisation Register 461 Aboriginal children born in 1990, and aged between 12-24 months 90% Data analysed on all vaccinations received by cohort until December 1992 Provider held records used
Young et al (1994)114 North Coast Health Region of NSW Cross-sectional survey 1,094 Aboriginal children aged from 0-11 years 93% of study population Review of provider held immunisation records from 10 areas in Region in 1991 Provider held records used
Hall et al (1994)58 Western NSW (4 rural health districts) Cross-sectional survey Cluster sample of 211 children (WHO method) aged 2-4 years >98% Survey by telephone and household interview using modified WHO method in 1993 PHR cited in most cases
McCall et al (1995)109 West Moreton, Queensland Birth cohort (retrospective) 108 children aged 18 months 55% Household interviews. Significant difference between respondents and non-respondents Provider held records used
Hanna et al (1995)118 Queensland (10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities) Cross sectional serological survey (HBV, OPV, measles) 101 Aboriginal children median age 24.5 months (non-random) N/A Serosurvey of fully vaccinated children to assess immunity to HBV, OPV, measles Provider held records and serosurvey
Kilmartin et al (1998)111 Southern Tasmania Prospective birth cohort 242 mothers of infants born between June 1994 and February 1995 75% at 1 week and 61% at 12 months Mothers completed questionnaires by interview (1 week) and mail (12 months) postpartum PHR used
Andrews et al (1995)30 Part 1 of study, see Table 4 Victoria (Upper Yarra) Retrospective review of immunisation records 845 children aged 2-4 years N/A Review of immunisation records from Shire of Upper Yarra's Shire database in 1995 Provider held records used


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Table 2. Immunisation coverage: Studies (population and settings based) with less than 50 per cent response rates

Study
Location
Design
Final sample size and age
Response rate* (%)
Strategy and date
Validation
Edwards BM et al (1995)51 Western Australia (WA) (state-wide) Birth cohort (retrospective) 487 children born in April 1993 (and aged 2 years at time of survey) 49% Questionnaire mailed to mothers across WA, randomly selected from midwives database 96.5% mothers referred to PHR (not validated by researchers)
Conaty et al (1996)57 Western Sydney, NSW Cross-sectional telephone survey 483 children aged 2 years 36% Telephone household survey conducted in 1995 in Western Sydney and Wentworth Health Areas 86% respondents cited PHR
Ferson MJ et al (1995)74 NSW (Eastern Sydney) Randomised controlled trial of primary school intervention 103 in final sample (249 randomised) from kindergarten in 1991 43% of randomised children Kindergarten children screened and non-fully immunised children randomised into 2 intervention arms Screening cards completed by school nurses
Miles et al (1996)102 Hunter Health Area, NSW Cross-sectional survey 69 children aged 2 years attending formal child-care 29% Review of immunisation records held by childcare services in 1995 Provider held record used

* Response rate shows % of original sample in the final sample

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Table 3. Immunisation Coverage: Population-based studies (national and regional) single vaccine studies

Study
Location
Design
Sample size and age
Response rate* (%)
Strategy and date
Validation
Causer et al (1998)54 Central and Southern Sydney, NSW Cross-sectional serological survey (measles and rubella only) 580 children aged 18 months to 5 years 75% approx Household interviews and venous blood samples PHR and serosurvey
McIntyre et al 1995)122 Sydney Statistical Division Cross-sectional population survey (Hib only) 549 children aged 0-4 years from 412 households 82% Random telephone sample to households in August 1993 50% sub-sample had records verified from providers
McIntyre et al (1994)61 Sydney Statistical Division Cross-sectional population survey (Hib only) 551 children aged 0-4 years from 394 households 74% Random telephone sample to households in August 1994 (repeat of 1993 survey) 50% sub-sample had records verified from providers
O'Brien et al (1997)6 ACT (state-wide) Birth cohort using immunisation register (Hib only) 9,790 children aged either 9 or 24 months N/A Providers submitted immunisation data to ACT central database Provider held records used
Oman et al (1997)119 Victoria (state-wide) Birth cohort using MCH records (Hepatitis B only) 3,611 children at risk of HBV aged 12-24 months 63% of infants at increased risk of HBV MCH nurses collected data on 'targeted' infants born between July 1992 - June 1993 Provider held records used
Ferson et al 1998)121 NSW Population-based serosurvey using data from National Survey of Lead in Children 347 children aged 1-4 years in 1995 who provided adequate blood sample for two assays 50% provided adequate blood sample Blood samples collected from National Lead survey were tested for measles and compared with parental report and PHRs Serosurvey

* Response rate shows % of original sample in the final sample

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Table 4. Immunisation coverage in childcare settings

Study
Location
Design
Final sample size and age
Response rate* (%)
Strategy
Validation
Hanna et al (1994)97 Northern Queensland (Cairns area) Cross-sectional survey Cluster sample of 613 children aged 0-5 years attending formal childcare 94% Review of immunisation status using PHR and provider held records PHR and provider held records used
Lloyd et al (1996)99 Illawarra region, NSW Cross-sectional survey 1,109 children aged 0-2 years attending 80 childcare centres 94% of childcare centres Review of immunisation records held at childcare centres in 1995 Provider held records used
Menzies et al (1996)101 NSW (state-wide) SSISS Immunisation register‡‡ 745 children aged 2 years attending childcare centres N/A Review of sample of records in SSISS register in 1995 Provider held records used
Chow et al (1995)55 Western Sydney, NSW Cross-sectional survey 1,092 children aged 2-3 years attending 95 long day care centres 83% of childcare centres Review of immunisation records held by centres in Western Sydney and Wentworth Health Areas Provider held records used
Mitchell et al (1997)106 NT (Territory-wide) Cross-sectional survey 269 children aged 2 years in 39 childcare centres 66% of children from 87% of centres Review of immunisation records held at childcare centres in 1995 Provider held records used
Andrews et al (1995)48 Part 2 of study (see Table 1) Victoria (Upper Yarra) Cross-sectional survey 250 children randomly selected from 700 Family Day Care and pre-school records in 1995 (2-4 years old) 75% Parent questionnaire (mailed) Immunisation Register used to validate responses

* Response rate shows % of original sample in the final sample
‡ State-wide Sentinel Immunisation Surveillance System



This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 6, 10 June 1999.

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CDI Vol 23, No 6, 10 June 1999

Immunisation coverage in Australian children: a systematic review 1990-1998

Communicable Diseases Intelligence