title: Effectiveness of individually tailored calendars in promoting childhood immunization in urban public health centers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the effectiveness of tailored calendars in increasing childhood immunization rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of babies aged birth to 1 year (n = 321) received individually tailored calendars promoting immunization from 2 urban public health centers. For each baby, an age- and sex-matched control was selected from the same center. Immunization status was tracked through age 24 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A higher proportion of intervention than of control babies were up to date at the end of a 9-month enrollment period (82% vs 65%, P <.001) and at age 24 months (66% vs 47%, P <.001). The younger the baby's age at enrollment in the program, the greater was the intervention effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tailored immunization calendars can help increase child immunization rates.
authors.affiliation: Health Communication Research Laboratory, Division of Behavioral Science and Health Education, Department of Community Health, School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO 63104, USA. kreuter@slu.edu
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kreuter
authors.forename: Charlene A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Caburnay
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Maureen J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Donlin
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000592:standards*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008923:Missouri; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017010:Reminder Systems; D040241:Social Marketing; D013664:Teaching Materials; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration