In both cities and rural areas of Tanzania, teenage moms are much more likely to have babies who miss or are late on their vaccines than moms in their mid-20s.

Scientific Claim

In both urban and rural Tanzania, infants born to mothers under 20 years old have a 40-60% higher risk of delayed or incomplete DTP3 vaccination compared to mothers aged 25–30, indicating young maternal age is a consistent risk factor across settings.

Original Statement

“In Dar es Salaam, mothers under 20 had 1.58 (95% CI: 1.36–1.84) times the risk of delayed or incomplete DTP3 vaccination. In Morogoro, mothers under 20 had 1.10 (95% CI: 1.00–1.21) times the risk.”

From study:Determinants of delayed or incomplete diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination in parallel urban and rural birth cohorts of 30,956 infants in Tanzania

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The study reports relative risks with confidence intervals and does not imply causation. The language appropriately reflects association, consistent with observational design.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Determinants of delayed or incomplete diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination in parallel urban and rural birth cohorts of 30,956 infants in Tanzania

Cohort Study

Human

2019 Feb 26

The study found that babies born to teen moms in both cities and rural areas were more likely to miss their vaccines than babies born to older moms, which matches the claim.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Determinants of delayed or incomplete diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination in parallel urban and rural birth cohorts of 30,956 infants in Tanzania

Score: 66

DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-3828-3

Similar Assertions

In rural Tanzania, babies born at home are more likely to be late or miss their vaccines than babies born in hospitals or clinics.

91%

In rural Tanzania, moms with no school are much more likely to have babies who miss vaccines — but in cities, whether a mom went to school doesn’t seem to affect vaccine timing.

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In urban Tanzania, babies born to teen moms are more likely to miss their DTP shots on time compared to babies born to moms in their mid-20s.

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In rural Tanzania, babies who are the fifth or later child in their family are more likely to be late on their vaccines than the first child.

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In rural Tanzania, babies born small are actually less likely to miss their vaccines than babies born at a normal weight — the opposite of what’s seen in most other poor countries.

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