Immunization assessment of two year olds in a select Harris County population

The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the relationship between race, income, primary language and immunization rates of preschoolers in seven Northeast Harris County school districts. Kindergarten and first grade student records were abstracted using a multistage sampling design to systematically review 806 records. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to summarize data and to determine the association between race, income, primary language, and immunization rates. The sample consisted of 69% White and 31% non-White students. High income schools comprised 37% of the sample and 63% were low income schools. English was the primary language for 93% of the students, while 6% identified Spanish as the primary language spoken at home. Disease prevention standard was met by 460 (57%) students by age two. The gold standard was met by 315 (39%) of the students and only 69 students (19%) were fully immunized age appropriately. Income was found to significantly influence immunization rates.