Abstract
Background
Full immunization coverage plays a vital role in public health by enhancing child survival and preventing morbidity and mortality from common childhood illnesses. However, there is a shortage of comprehensive studies providing conclusive evidence on full immunization coverage and associated factors in Ethiopia. Hence, the objective of this umbrella review and meta-analysis was to identify the pooled full immunization coverage and associated factors in Ethiopia.
Methods
This review used an umbrella review method, by incorporating numerous systematic reviews. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The method involved systematically synthesizing suitable systematic reviews and meta-analyses using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool. Medical Subject Heading (Mesh) terms and keywords were used to find pertinent review in various online databases, such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and HINARI. I-squared statistics were used to assess study heterogeneity. STATA version 17 software was used for statistical analysis, and the 95% CI was used to determine statistical significance.
Result
In this review, four studies were included. The pooled prevalence of immunization coverage was 60.21% (95% CI: 57.29–63.14). The umbrella review found that factors such as institutional delivery (AOR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.75–2.10), travel time to vaccination site (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI 1.89–2.89), receiving at least one antenatal care visit (AOR = 2.70, 95% CI 2.05–3.33), possessing good maternal knowledge (AOR = 3.77, 95% CI 3.07–4.14), maternal education level (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.7–2.96), and residing in urban areas (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.54–2.14) were significantly associated with achieving full immunization coverage.
Conclusion
The pooled prevalence of immunization coverage was found to be 60.21%, indicating a substantial gap that needs to be addressed. Factors such as institutional delivery, travel time to vaccination site, antenatal care visits, maternal knowledge, education level, and urban residence were significantly associated with higher immunization rates. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve access to vaccination services, enhance maternal education and knowledge, and promote institutional delivery. Addressing these factors can help increase immunization coverage and contribute to better overall public health outcomes.