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MPP , Senior Research Fellow
Two New Changes to the Child Vaccinations Measure on SHADAC’s State Health Compare
December 10, 2020:
SHADAC is making two modifications to its State Health Compare (SHC) Child Vaccinations measure in response to changes in how the data source for this measure (the National Immunization Survey-Child [NIS]) reports estimates. The NIS recently transitioned to reporting estimates by child birth year (e.g., the percent of children born in 2015 who had received the recommended vaccines). Previously, the estimates had been reported by survey year (e.g., the percent of children surveyed in 2015 who received the recommended vaccines). Announcement of this change was included in a recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report where the authors noted that “the transition to reporting by birth year rather than by survey year more directly assesses recent changes in vaccination coverage and provides more interpretable estimates and more accurate comparisons to evaluate immunization information systems.”[1]
As a consequence, SHADAC is now reporting its Child Vaccinations measure by child birth year (from 2011-2016) rather than by survey year. SHADAC has also altered the measure definition to be the “percent of children age 24 months who had received all recommended vaccines,” changed from the “percent of children age 19-35 months who had received all recommended vaccines.” This change is consistent with the new way these estimates are reported from the NIS, and with the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended vaccine schedule. Previous estimates from survey years 2000-2017 will no longer be available on State Health Compare but continue to be available through CDC’s ChildVaxView and from SHADAC upon request.
As before, Child Vaccinations measures the rate of receipt of recommended vaccinations, which is defined as getting the recommended doses of the 7-vaccine series.[2] The CDC’s child and adolescent vaccination schedule recommends children to have received these vaccines by the age of 18 months. SHC’s Child Vaccinations measure reports the rate of receipt at 24 months of age.
Visit SHADAC's State Health Compare to further explore the new Child Vaccinations measure.
[1] Hill, H.A., Singleton, J.A., Yankey, D., Elam-Evans, L.D., Pingali, S.C., & Kang, Y. Vaccination coverage by age 24 months among children born in 2015 and 2016—National Immunization Survey-Child, United States, 2016-2018. MMWR, 68(41), 913-918.
[2] The combined 7-vaccine series consists of 4 or more doses of either the diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and pertussis vaccine (DTP), the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids vaccine (DT), or the diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP); 3 or more doses of any poliovirus vaccine; 1 or more doses of a measles containing vaccine (MCV); 3 or more doses or 4 or more doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib) depending on Hib vaccine product type (full series Hib); 3 or more doses of hepatitis B vaccine; 1 or more doses of varicella vaccine; and 4 or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV).
