County-Level Factors Associated With School-Required Immunization Rates Among Connecticut Kindergarteners: 2018-2023

The COVID-19 pandemic brought public attention to the implications of anti-vaccine sentiment to population health. However, the anti-vaccine movement began impacting school-aged children long before the pandemic. This study examines the role of socioeconomic factors in Connecticut kindergarten immunization rates between the 2018-2018 and 2022-2023 school years. Connecticut is the third smallest state in the United States, yet significantly diverse socioeconomic statuses exist within its small spatial boundary. Analyzing data from the Connecticut Annual School Immunization Survey and the United States Census, we demonstrate a connection between socioeconomic factors and kindergarteners fully up-to-date on all required school immunizations at the county level. The findings argue that changes Connecticut kindergarten immunizations rates are more associated with median social economic status than low or high social economic status. We provide recommendations for future research to address gaps in childhood immunizations in Connecticut