Impact of the CDC's Section 317 Immunization Grants Program funding on childhood vaccination coverage

Am J Public Health. 2006 Sep;96(9):1548-53. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.078451. Epub 2006 Jul 27.

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Section 317 Grants Program is the main source of funding for state and jurisdictional immunization programs, yet no study has evaluated its direct impact on vaccination coverage rates. Therefore, we used a fixed-effects model and data collected from 56 US jurisdictions to estimate the impact of Section 317 financial assistance immunization grants on childhood vaccination coverage rates from 1997 to 2003. Our results showed that increases in Section 317 funding were significantly and meaningfully associated with higher rates of vaccination coverage; a 10 dollars increase in per capita funding corresponded with a 1.6-percentage-point increase in vaccination coverage. Policymakers charged with funding public health programs should consider this study's findings, which indicate that money allocated to vaccine activities translates directly into higher vaccine coverage rates.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. / economics*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Community-Institutional Relations
  • Federal Government
  • Financing, Government*
  • Health Policy
  • Humans
  • Immunization Programs / economics*
  • Immunization Programs / statistics & numerical data*
  • Infant
  • Models, Economic
  • Population Surveillance
  • Social Welfare
  • State Government
  • United States
  • Vaccination / statistics & numerical data*