CHILD CARE AND IMMUNIZATION: A STUDY AMONG THE MUSLIMS OF CHAPAR REVENUE CIRCLE OF DHUBRI DISTRICT, ASSAM

Abstract

Child immunization is among the most proven public health instruments for reducing infant and under-five mortality. In India’s northeastern frontier, minority Muslim communities in peri-urban and rural belts often occupy a distinct socio demographic position that shapes health-seeking behaviour in ways that aggregate national data cannot capture. This paper examines child care practices and immunization uptake among Muslim households of two villages — Puthimari and Kazipara — located in the Chapar administrative area of Dhubri district, Assam. Household-level data were collected from 100 respondents (50 from each village) across variables including parental education, age at marriage, household income, birth weight, immunization status, breastfeeding duration, utilisation of government health schemes, and awareness of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). Results reveal that overall full immunization coverage across the two villages stands at 83.0%, though notable inter-village variation exists: Kazipara  recorded the highest full immunization rate (98%), while Puthimari recorded a considerably lower rate (68%). Health workers — primarily ASHA workers — emerge as the dominant motivational source for immunization uptake in both villages. Awareness of ORS and regularity of hospital antenatal visits were universal (100%) across both sites. Government schemes such as Adoroni, and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) are actively accessed, particularly in Puthimari. The findings underscore the critical role of frontline health workers in sustaining immunization coverage, identify household income as the primary structural predictor of immunization failure, and highlight a significant pocket of partial non-coverage in Puthimari that warrants targeted programme intervention.