Children on the move and vaccination coverage in a low-income, urban Latino population.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of childhood moves and foreign birth on vaccination coverage among Latino children in New York City.


METHODS
Vaccination coverage was assessed in a survey of 314 children younger than 5 years at 2 immunization clinics.


RESULTS
Forty-seven percent of the study children had moved abroad. After adjustment for health insurance, regular source of care, and country of birth, child moves had no independent effect on vaccination coverage. Foreign-born children had diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus, oral polio vaccine, and measles-mumps-rubella vaccination coverage rates similar to those of US-born children, but they were underimmunized in regard to Haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B.


CONCLUSIONS
Foreign birth, but not childhood moves, is a barrier to vaccinations among low-income, urban Latino children.
Findley
S E
SE
Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA. sef5@columbia.edu
Irigoyen
M
M
Schulman
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004293:Dominican Republic / Q000208:ethnology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*