Assessment of kindergarten immunization rates in Colorado: school self-reports vs. health department audits, 2004-2005.
In 2005, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment audited a sample of kindergarten school records to determine vaccination coverage at school entry. In addition to the audit, the traditional method of collecting immunization data by self-reports from schools continued through that school year. The results of the two surveys were compared. The audit results indicated that 76.3% (n = 1,776; 95% confidence interval 73.2, 79.4) of Colorado's kindergarteners received all required vaccines. In contrast, the series coverage estimated from school self-reports for the same time frame was 89.4% (n = 46,559). Self-reports by school staff in Colorado appear to overestimate the immunization status of children entering kindergarten. Because more than three-quarters of U.S. states use some form of school self-report to assess immunization status, this finding has significant implications for most state health departments.
Stanwyck
Carol
C
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd., MS-E62, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. cea9@cdc.gov
Davila
Jill
J
Wake
Lane
L
Koshak
Marianne
M
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003120:Colorado; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011635:Public Health Administration; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*