title: Causes of low tetanus toxoid vaccination coverage in pregnant women in Lahore district, Pakistan.
abstract: To assess the causes of low tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination coverage in pregnant women a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted at the community, primary health care delivery and management levels in Lahore district, Pakistan. Out of a random sample of 362 women who had delivered during the previous 3 months, 87% recalled receiving 2 doses of TT. The main reasons for non-vaccination were poor knowledge about the importance of TT (32% of women) or the place and time to get vaccinated (18%). According to the managers and primary health care medical officers, the main reasons for low coverage were lack of awareness about the importance of vaccination among the public and misconceptions about TT vaccination (e.g. that it was a contraceptive).
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan. drseemahasnain@yahoo.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasnain
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Sheikh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D015984:Causality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D013745:Tetanus Toxoid