Resistance to polio immunization information in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are the three remaining polio-endemic countries in the world. This study investigated the reasons for resistance to polio immunization information in Kano, Nigeria. From a social constructionism perspective and Chatman’s theory of normative behavior as a theoretical framework, content analysis methods were used to examine 72 documents (105,400) words) published from 2002-2013 that reported polio immunization information practices in Kano. The researcher used an analytic inductive process to identify 339 narratives explaining resistance to information about polio immunization. The narratives are organized into 20 recurring topics and further collapsed into six emergent categories to explain resistance. Findings indicated that Kano residents resisted polio immunization information for several reasons: 1) suspicion of Western nations; (2) they placed polio as a lower health priority; (3) suspicion of the polio vaccines; (4) distrust of the Western health care system; (5) concerns about the administration of polio immunization services; and (6) the negative perception of promoters of polio immunization services. Findings interpreted using Chatman’s theory suggests that for there to be a sustained acceptance of polio immunization information, there must be change in the manner that information is communicated within the peculiarities of the social norms and worldviews of the discourse groups.