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Association of basic vaccination with cognitive and learning ability among children: insights from the India Human Development Survey, 2004–05 and 2011–12

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2021

William Joe  and
Ajay Kumar Verma Open the ORCID record for Ajay Kumar Verma [Opens in a new window]
William Joe
Affiliation:
Population Research Centre, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University (North Campus), Delhi, India
Ajay Kumar Verma*
Affiliation:
Population Research Centre, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University (North Campus), Delhi, India
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Basic vaccination is important to protect children from infectious diseases and illnesses. Adequate levels of vaccination coverage reduce the morbidity and mortality burden among children and promote their physical and mental development. This study aimed to assess the association between basic childhood vaccination and the cognitive and learning ability of school children in India. Nationally representative follow-up data on 6183 children from the Indian Human Development Surveys conducted in 2004–05 and 2011–12 (IHDS I & II) were analysed. Children aged 8–10 years who had received all basic vaccines by the age 12 months performed better in a maths test than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.48, 2.35). Similarly, fully vaccinated children performed better in writing tasks than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children (OR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.44, 2.18). Likewise, fully vaccinated children had better reading skills than fully unvaccinated children (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.09). The results suggest that enhancing child vaccination coverage can have significant benefits beyond health and can potentially improve the long-term educational outcomes of children.

Keywords

Childhood vaccinationCognitive developmentMathsreading and writing
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 54 , Issue 2 , March 2022 , pp. 243 - 256
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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