[Vaccination coverage and socioeconomic determinants of BCG vaccination in children before 3 months: Results of the Elfe cohort study, 2011]

Abstract

Background: In 2007, French authorities changed mandatory BCG vaccination for all children into a strong recommendation to vaccinate only children considered at high risk of tuberculosis. Vaccination coverage (VC) data are insufficient in France. We estimated VC at approximately two months of age and identified socioeconomic factors associated with BCG vaccination.

Methods: The Elfe study (Étude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance) included a random sample of about 18 000 children born in 2011 selected at birth from 320 maternity wards from mainland France. Information was collected through questionnaires and telephone interviews conducted approximately two months after delivery. Because BCG recommendations are different in the Paris region (Île-de-France [IDF]) and outside this region, VC was estimated separately in these two regions. We estimated VC for different levels of tuberculosis risk, approached by the geographical origin of the parents. Poisson regression was performed to analyze the association between socioeconomic factors and BCG vaccination status, and results expressed by prevalence ratios (PR).

Results: CV was higher in IDF (59.5%) compared to at-risk children outside IDF (46.7%) (p<0.001). VC in children with two parents from a tuberculosis highly endemic country was 80.5% in IDF and 60.4% outside IDF. In the multivariable model, having one or two parents from a tuberculosis highly endemic country (PR around 1.40) or consulting a private pediatrician (PR around 1.15) or a maternal and child health (MCH) center (PR around 1.40) after leaving the maternity ward were associated with a higher VC, whereas a university educational level in mothers was associated with a lower VC (PR=0.80).

Conclusion: In France, BCG vaccination in infants is performed early after discharge from the maternity ward. A first consultation with a pediatrician or in a MCH center is associated with better vaccination coverage. Children at higher risk are probably well identified by physicians and better vaccinated.

Keywords: BCG; Couverture vaccinale; Déterminants socioéconomiques; France; Socioeconomic determinants; Vaccination coverage.