Progress in Timely Vaccination Coverage Among Children Living in Low-Income Households

Results: Among low-income children, timely vaccination coverage increased significantly between consecutive birth cohorts by an estimated 0.5% for DTaP-DTP, 0.3% for polio, 0.6% for MMR, 1.2% for hepatitis B, and 5.3% for varicella vaccines but did not change significantly for the Hib vaccine. Disparities in timely coverage for low- vs high-income children declined significantly between consecutive birth cohorts by an estimated �0.3% for MMR, �0.3% for hepatitis B, and �0.5% for varicella vaccines, did not change significantly for the polio vaccine, and increased significantly by 0.4% for the DTaPDTP vaccine. Conclusions: Disparities in vaccination coverage associated with low household income persist. Further progress in timely vaccination may be achieved by improving health care providers’ reminder/recall systems, implementing educational interventions that address barriers to vaccination, and increasing parents’ awareness of the Vaccines for Children Program.