Hussaini Ibn Mohammed,
Aisa Isa Geidam,
- Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria
- Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria
Abstract
Poliomyelitis (polio), although it has been eradicated over the decades, continues to be a major problem of public health in Nigeria. Polio vaccination is the best way to counteract the transmission of poliovirus, although differences in knowledge and attitude to polio vaccination between rural and urban families are present and especially in Northeast Nigeria. This paper explores such differences, evaluates their impact on the knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance of polio vaccinations, based on the household location. A sample of 400 households (200 rural and 200 urban) was picked using a comparative cross-sectional survey design among the states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa using a multistage sampling method. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data which were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results have shown that urban households possess much more knowledge regarding polio and immunization schedules than rural households. Favourable views of vaccination were also found in urban and rural settings the latter being less inclined to take the vaccine and more influenced by cultural beliefs, misunderstandings of vaccine safety, and lack of health-care access. Other aspects like level of education, availability of healthcare centres and exposure to awareness programs were all found to have positive correlations with knowledge and acceptance of polio vaccination. The conclusions of the study are that despite the increase in the awareness in the country due to national vaccination campaigns, there is need to implement target interventions that focus on addressing rural-specific barriers, such as community engagement, education, and better service delivery, which are necessary to support equitable vaccine coverage and maintain polio eradication efforts in Northeast Nigeria.
Keywords: Northeast Nigeria, knowledge, attitudes, poliomyelitis, polio vaccination, rural households, urban households, knowledge
[This article belongs to International Journal of Children ]
References
- Umoke CC, Ayanwale MA, Nwangbo SO, Ezeoke NC, Abonyi SO, Olatunbosun SO. Modeling instructional strategies and their transformative role in enhancing engagement and equity in computer studies: a quasi-experimental study. Discover Education. 2025 Jul 1;4(1):215.
- Jegede AS. What led to the Nigerian boycott of the polio vaccination campaign?. PLoS medicine. 2007 Mar 20;4(3):e73.
- Jibrin AM, Ugu AJ, Babylon P, Aliyu AS. A Qualitative Assessment of Non-compliance to Polio Vaccination Across Diverse Regions of Nigeria. International Journal of Medical Science and Health Research (ISSN: 2581-3366). 2025;9(03).
- Akinyemi O, Adebayo A, Bassey C, Nwaiwu C, Kalbarczyk A, Nomhwange T, Alonge OO, Owoaje ET. A qualitative exploration of the contributions of Polio Eradication Initiative to the Nigerian health system: policy implications for polio transition planning. Tropical Medicine and Health. 2022 Jun 6;50(1):38.
- Machado AA, Edwards SA, Mueller M, Saini V. Effective interventions to increase routine childhood immunization coverage in low socioeconomic status communities in developed countries: A systematic review and critical appraisal of peer-reviewed literature. Vaccine. 2021 May 21;39(22):2938-64.
- World Health Organization. Global polio surveillance action plan 2022-2024. World Health Organization; 2022 May 20. https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/GPSAP-2022-2024-EN.pdf
- Nelson KN, Wallace AS, Sodha SV, Daniels D, Dietz V. Assessing strategies for increasing urban routine immunization coverage of childhood vaccines in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature. Vaccine. 2016 Nov 4;34(46):5495-503.
- Tsoka M, Kriek J. Grade 11 Rural Science Learners’ Descriptions of their Learning with Computer Simulation. Journal of Educational Studies. 2024 Oct 1;23(2):70-90.
- Taylor S, Khan M, Muhammad A, Akpala O, van Strien M, Morry C, Feek W, Ogden E. Understanding vaccine hesitancy in polio eradication in northern Nigeria. Vaccine. 2017 Nov 7;35(47):6438-43.
- Mushtaq MU, Shahid U, Majrooh MA, Shad MA, Siddiqui AM, Akram J. From their own perspective-constraints in the Polio Eradication Initiative: perceptions of health workers and managers in a district of Pakistan’s Punjab province. BMC international health and human rights. 2010 Aug 23;10(1):22.
- Machado AA, Edwards SA, Mueller M, Saini V. Effective interventions to increase routine childhood immunization coverage in low socioeconomic status communities in developed countries: A systematic review and critical appraisal of peer-reviewed literature. Vaccine. 2021 May 21;39(22):2938-64.
International Journal of Children
| Volume | 03 | |
| Issue | 02 | |
| Received | 05/05/2026 | |
| Accepted | 24/06/2026 | |
| Published | 25/06/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 51 Days |