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.

Scientific Claim

In both urban and rural Tanzania, the risk of delayed or incomplete DTP3 vaccination is higher among infants born to mothers with no formal education in rural areas (24% higher) but not in urban areas, indicating that maternal schooling’s protective effect is absent in cities but vital in rural communities.

Original Statement

“In rural Morogoro, mothers with no formal schooling had 1.22 (95% CI: 1.10–1.34) times the risk of delayed or incomplete DTP3 vaccination compared to those with completed primary education. In Dar es Salaam, maternal education showed no significant association with DTP3 vaccination.”

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 and interaction p-values without causal language. The claim accurately reflects the observed differential associations.

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, moms without school are more likely to have babies who miss vaccines, but in cities, it doesn’t matter as much—schooling helps in the countryside but not so much in the city.

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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