Timely Immunization Series Completion among Children of Immigrants

Victoria Buelow, Portland State University

Although childhood immunization coverage in the United States has steadily increased in recent years, inequality among children of racial and ethnic minority groups continues to undermine national efforts to eliminate disparities in children’s health. It is possible that these disparities may worsen over time as recent immigration trends have contributed to increasing racial and ethnic diversity among children in the United States. While racial and socio-economic differentials in immunization timing among children have been well-documented in prior studies, little is known about the effects of nativity. Previous research has primarily focused on the nativity of children, however, this study aims to identify the effects of parental nativity. Using the 2000-2003 National Health Interview Surveys, logistic regression models are estimated in order to determine the effects of parental nativity, citizenship, and residential duration on timely 4:3:1:3:3 combined immunization series completion among children of immigrants.