Impact of a promotion program for hepatitis B immunisation

This study compared levels of hepatitis B immunisation in a group of 524 infants in Northland, New Zealand, with levels in the remainder of the country. The Northland sample had specific encouragement from an immunisation coordinator and had been followed from birth. Levels throughout the rest of the country were estimated from four samples totalling 317 infants whose parents were interviewed when the child was at least two years old. The cross‐sectional nationwide sample had fewer children 'fully immunised’ by two years of age (minimum estimate 61.8 per cent, maximum estimate 69.7 per cent) than the cohort of children (not lost to follow‐up) who were encouraged to have the immunisations in Northland (77.5 per cent) (Z = 4.73, P < 0.001 for comparison with the minimum nationwide estimate; Z = 2.45, P = 0.014 for comparison with the maximum estimate). Of the Northland cohort, 13.5 per cent were lost to follow‐up before the scheduled completion of the hepatitis B vaccinations. Assuming that every child lost to follow‐up was not fully immunised, the efforts of the immunisation promotion program operated by a nurse coordinator increased the percentage of children fully immunised by between about 7.8 per cent and 15.7 per cent. A promotion program for hepatitis B immunisation, operated by an immunisation coordinator, is an effective tool for increasing immunisation coverage.