An access to health facilities and mother’s immunization of their children against childhood killer diseases in Bauchi Local Government, Bauchi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Access to everything in life determines its usage, therefore the increase rates of child mortality resulting from inability of mothers to effectively accept the immunization of their children against childhood killer diseases, such as poliomyelitis, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, whooping cough, tuberculosis, among others, in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State necessitates this study, which was aimed at investigating the mothers access to health facility towards the immunization of their children against the childhood killer diseases, as mothers finds it difficult to due to so many factors in Bauchi Local Government Area. The study adopted the rational choice theory as the theoretical framework because it best explain how mothers respond to health seeking behaviors in relation to the immunization of children against childhood killer diseases in the study area. The study made use of questionnaires and in-depth interviews as techniques for data collection. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics, percentages and chi square. The total sample size was three hundred and twenty-two (322) and this included three hundred and twelve for questionnaire and ten for in-depth interviews. The study used Descriptive statistic of frequencies and percentages in tabulation format; Pearson’s chi-square with critical value approach and cross-tabulations were the methods used to analyze the quantitative data gathered while in-depth interview was transcript. The finding of the study revealed that distance to health facilities affects mothers’ immunization of their children against childhood killer diseases. The research recommended that government should build health facility in each locality to encourage mother access to health facility for the immunization of their children against killer diseases.