THE IMPACT OF MOTHERS' EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDHOOD KILLER DISEASES ON PARTICIPATION IN IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMME IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the impact of mothers’ education and knowledge of childhood killer diseases on participation in immunization programme in Ogun state, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to draw two-hundred respondents. The major instrument used for data collection was a 4-point scale questionnaire validated through consultation with experts in health education, adult education and community development. The target population for this study consists of women of childbearing age (15-49 years) who have given birth to at least a child in the last five years and participated in immunization programme. The descriptive statistics and chi-square analytical tools were employed for data analysis and hypotheses testing. The descriptive statistics revealed that only 6% of the respondents had no formal education 53% had tertiary education, 13% had primary education while 27.5% had secondary education. The chi-square analysis revealed that poor knowledge of mothers about childhood killer diseases significantly contributed to low level of participation in immunization (x2 cal=254.2017, tab =7.89, df=3, p<0.05). The study recommended among others that community educators and adult educators should include health education on childhood killer diseases in their curriculum.