7. Identification of the Factors Influencing Child Immunization in West Bengal: A Case Study of Darjeeling District

This paper mainly concentrated on identifying the most vulnerable groups for immunization coverage, to find mother’s composite health index and finally to identify the factors influencing the vaccination status of the child in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The study is based on the novel dataset, of 245 children within the age group of 12 months to 2 years from 200 households that have especially been collected to investigate the above-mentioned objectives. Yule’s coefficient of association is used to find out the association of various socioeconomic variables with the phenomenon of child immunization. Mothers’ composite health index has been constructed using the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Logistic regression analysis is used in identifying the socioeconomic determinants of such immunization program. We found low rates of participation in vaccination coverage among poor households, minorities, and people living in rural and remote areas. The study concludes that there is difficulty in accessing the governmental health safety net services for both children and mothers.