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An age-structured spatially varying coefficient model for high-resolution mapping of vaccination coverage

An age-structured spatially varying coefficient model for high-resolution mapping of vaccination coverage
An age-structured spatially varying coefficient model for high-resolution mapping of vaccination coverage

High-resolution maps of vaccination coverage are valuable for uncovering heterogeneities in coverage to inform vaccine delivery strategies. Coverage maps stratified by age can reveal additional heterogeneities in the timeliness of vaccination and critical immunity gaps among birth cohorts. Here, we propose a spatially varying coefficient model relying on a Bayesian approach for age-structured mapping of vaccination coverage using geolocated individual level household survey and geospatial covariate data. Our flexible modelling framework includes parameterizations capturing spatial (non-)stationarity in differences in coverage between age groups, as well as a modification to allow coverage mapping for singe age points through the inclusion of a smoother over age. The proposed models are fitted using the INLA-SPDE approach implemented in the inlabru package in R. We choose between competing model parameterizations by examining their out-of-sample predictive performance via cross-validation and using Bayesian model choice criteria. The methodology is applied to age-structured mapping of measles vaccination coverage in Cote d'Ivoire using the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey. Our results reveal a significant delay in measles vaccination in the first year of life and substantial spatial differences in coverage by age, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to achieve equity and attain vaccine-derived immunity goals.

1553-734X
Utazi, C. Edson
e69ca81e-fb23-4bc1-99a5-25c9e0f4d6f9
Chaudhuri, Somnath
ae0507e0-f920-4438-bc9f-ecdd5ac8967a
Wariri, Oghenebrume
be0001b6-357e-47d0-bfd1-2e86d110424e
Olowe, Iyanuloluwa D.
3993579e-505f-49c6-a35d-0e83d882c3fa
Megheib, Mohamed
dc4da9bd-9e0d-4a1a-a3f0-b05fec3a50a4
Tatem, Andrew J.
6c6de104-a5f9-46e0-bb93-a1a7c980513e
Utazi, C. Edson
e69ca81e-fb23-4bc1-99a5-25c9e0f4d6f9
Chaudhuri, Somnath
ae0507e0-f920-4438-bc9f-ecdd5ac8967a
Wariri, Oghenebrume
be0001b6-357e-47d0-bfd1-2e86d110424e
Olowe, Iyanuloluwa D.
3993579e-505f-49c6-a35d-0e83d882c3fa
Megheib, Mohamed
dc4da9bd-9e0d-4a1a-a3f0-b05fec3a50a4
Tatem, Andrew J.
6c6de104-a5f9-46e0-bb93-a1a7c980513e

Utazi, C. Edson, Chaudhuri, Somnath, Wariri, Oghenebrume, Olowe, Iyanuloluwa D., Megheib, Mohamed and Tatem, Andrew J. (2026) An age-structured spatially varying coefficient model for high-resolution mapping of vaccination coverage. PLoS Computational Biology, 22 (2), [e1013989]. (doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013989).

Record type: Article

Abstract

High-resolution maps of vaccination coverage are valuable for uncovering heterogeneities in coverage to inform vaccine delivery strategies. Coverage maps stratified by age can reveal additional heterogeneities in the timeliness of vaccination and critical immunity gaps among birth cohorts. Here, we propose a spatially varying coefficient model relying on a Bayesian approach for age-structured mapping of vaccination coverage using geolocated individual level household survey and geospatial covariate data. Our flexible modelling framework includes parameterizations capturing spatial (non-)stationarity in differences in coverage between age groups, as well as a modification to allow coverage mapping for singe age points through the inclusion of a smoother over age. The proposed models are fitted using the INLA-SPDE approach implemented in the inlabru package in R. We choose between competing model parameterizations by examining their out-of-sample predictive performance via cross-validation and using Bayesian model choice criteria. The methodology is applied to age-structured mapping of measles vaccination coverage in Cote d'Ivoire using the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey. Our results reveal a significant delay in measles vaccination in the first year of life and substantial spatial differences in coverage by age, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to achieve equity and attain vaccine-derived immunity goals.

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journal.pcbi.1013989 - Version of Record
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 February 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 17 February 2026
Published date: 17 February 2026

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 510234
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/510234
ISSN: 1553-734X
PURE UUID: a606b2f5-739e-47da-99f7-31b84e63a350
ORCID for C. Edson Utazi: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0534-5310
ORCID for Somnath Chaudhuri: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4899-1870
ORCID for Iyanuloluwa D. Olowe: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0002-8848-1971
ORCID for Mohamed Megheib: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6088-363X
ORCID for Andrew J. Tatem: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7270-941X

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Date deposited: 24 Mar 2026 17:30
Last modified: 25 Mar 2026 03:15

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Contributors

Author: C. Edson Utazi ORCID iD
Author: Somnath Chaudhuri ORCID iD
Author: Oghenebrume Wariri
Author: Iyanuloluwa D. Olowe ORCID iD
Author: Mohamed Megheib ORCID iD
Author: Andrew J. Tatem ORCID iD

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