Preventive Health Service Coverage Among Infants and Children at Six Maternal-Child Health Clinics in Western Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Assessment

Abstract

Objectives Despite the substantial reduction of child mortality in recent decades, Kenya still strives to provide universal healthcare access and to meet other international benchmarks for child health. This study aimed to describe child health service coverage among children visiting six maternal and child health (MCH) clinics in western Kenya.

Methods In a cross-sectional study of Kenyan children who are under the age of 5 years presenting to MCH clinics, child health records were reviewed to determine coverage of immunizations, growth monitoring, vitamin A supplementation, and deworming. Among 78 children and their caregivers, nearly 70% of children were fully vaccinated for their age.

Results We found a significant disparity in full vaccination coverage by gender (p = 0.017), as males had 3.5 × higher odds of being fully vaccinated compared to females. Further, full vaccination coverage also varied across MCH clinic sites ranging from 43.8 to 92.9%.

Conclusions for Practice Health service coverage for Kenyan children in this study is consistent with national and sub-national findings; however, our study found a significant gender equity gap in coverage at these six clinics that warrants further investigation to ensure that all children receive critical preventative services.