Gender-responsive language in the National Policy Guidelines for Immunization in Kenya and changes in prevalence of tetanus vaccination among women, 2008–09 to 2014: A mixed methods study

Abstract

Global evidence suggests that maternal vaccination rates are partly related to intersectional gender-related disparities. Kenya recently eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus, but previously had low rates of tetanus vaccination in many districts. Examining both national data and gender-responsive language in policies can potentially illuminate this progress. This study used mixed-methods approach: content analysis to identify gender-responsive language in Kenya's National Policy Guidelines for Immunization 2013, and logistic regression to analyze data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys: 2008–09 (pre-policy) and 2014 (post-policy) to determine whether vaccination utilization significantly changed pre- and post-policy. Kenya's vaccine Guidelines highlighted a comprehensive life-cycle approach with several mentions of targeted immunization sensitization interventions for diverse sub-populations of women and gatekeepers. Logistic regression suggested an association between year of survey administration and prevalence of tetanus vaccination, with greater adjusted odds post policy implementation (e.g., 2014). Further in-depth research, like elite interviews, might prove valuable.