Asian Journal of Research in Medicine and Medical Science

Background: Immunisation remains an important public health intervention for reducing vaccine-preventable morbidity and mortality among children under five years of age. Maternal knowledge and attitudes are important factors influencing adherence to childhood immunisation schedules. This study assessed the influence of a nurse-led health education intervention on knowledge and attitudes towards immunisation among mothers of children under five attending Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control-group design was used. A total of 197 mothers completed the study, comprising 96 participants in the control group and 101 participants in the intervention group at endline. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Knowledge and attitude scores were compared before and after the intervention.

Results: At baseline, knowledge was comparable between the control and intervention groups. In the intervention group, the proportion of mothers with good knowledge increased from 75.0% at baseline to 99.0% at endline, while poor knowledge declined from 25.0% to 1.0%. This improvement was statistically significant (χ² = 25.932, p < 0.001). Attitudes also improved in the intervention group, with positive attitudes increasing from 46.3% at baseline to 69.3% at endline, while negative attitudes decreased from 53.7% to 30.7% (χ² = 11.303, p = 0.001). In the control group, knowledge remained largely unchanged, while positive attitudes declined from 49.1% to 35.4%.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that nurse-led health education was associated with improved maternal knowledge and attitudes towards childhood immunisation. Integrating structured health education into routine maternal and child health services may support greater immunisation-related awareness and acceptance among mothers.