Estimating vaccination coverage: Validity of household-retained vaccination cards and parental recall

摘要: Abstract Public health programs rely on household-survey estimates of vaccination coverage as a basis programmatic and policy decisions; however, the validity derived from household-retained cards parental recall has not been thoroughly evaluated. Using data survey conducted in Western Pacific's Northern Mariana Islands, we compared results household sources to medical record for same children. We calculated percentage children aged 1, 2, 6 years who received all vaccines recommended by age 12 months, 24 school entry, respectively. Coverage based ranged 14% 30% three groups 78–91% records. When were supplemented recall, 51–53%. Concordance, sensitivity, specificity, positive negative predictive values, kappa statistics generally indicated poor agreement between sources. Household-retained insufficient information estimating this population. This study emphasizes importance identifying reliable history reinforces need awareness potential limitations estimated surveys that and/or recall.