Underimmunization of American Indian and Alaska Native children.
OBJECTIVE
The goal was to determine whether disparities in childhood immunization coverage exist between American Indian/Alaska Native children and non-Hispanic white children.


METHODS
We compared immunization coverage with the 4 diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, 3 poliovirus, 1 measles-mumps-rubella, 3 Haemophilus influenza type b, and 3 hepatitis B(4:3:1:3:3) series and its individual vaccine components (> or = 4 doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine; > or = 3 doses of oral or inactivated polio vaccine; > or = 1 dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; > or = 3 doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine; and > or = 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine) between American Indian/Alaska Native children and non-Hispanic white children from 2000 to 2005, using data from the National Immunization Survey.


RESULTS
Although immunization coverage increased for both populations from 2001 to 2004, American Indian/Alaska Native children had significantly lower immunization coverage, compared with non-Hispanic white children, over that time period. In 2005, coverage continued to increase for American Indian/Alaska Native children but decreased for non-Hispanic white children, and no statistically significant disparity in 4:3:1:3:3 coverage was evident in that year.


CONCLUSIONS
Disparities in immunization coverage for American Indian/Alaska Native children have been present, but unrecognized, since 2001. The absence of a disparity in coverage in 2005 is encouraging but is tempered by the fact that coverage for non-Hispanic white children decreased in that year.
Groom
Amy V
AV
Immunization Services Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. amy.groom@ihs.gov
Washington
Michael L
ML
Smith
Philip J
PJ
Bryan
Ralph T
RT
D000413:Alaska; D016667:Bacterial Capsules; D002648:Child; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011054:Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; C044237:Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; D011054:Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial