In rural Tanzania, babies whose dads didn’t finish school are more likely to miss their vaccines on time than babies whose dads did finish school.

Scientific Claim

In rural Tanzania, infants born to fathers with no formal education have a 36% higher risk of delayed or incomplete DTP3 vaccination compared to infants whose fathers completed primary school, suggesting paternal education is a significant contextual barrier to timely immunization in resource-limited rural settings.

Original Statement

“Infants in Morogoro who had fathers and mothers with no education had 36% (95% CI: 22-52%) and 22% (95% CI: 10-34%) increased risk of delayed or incomplete DTP3 vaccination as compared to those with primary school education, respectively.”

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 is observational and adjusts for confounders but cannot prove causation. The use of 'higher risk' correctly reflects association, not causation, and aligns with the GRADE Level 2b evidence.

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

In rural Tanzania, babies whose dads didn’t go to school were much more likely to miss their important vaccines than babies whose dads finished primary school — the study found this link clearly and strongly.

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

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In rural Tanzania, babies whose dads didn't go to school are more likely to miss their DTP shots on time compared to babies whose dads finished primary school.

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