Anti-vaccination beliefs aren’t the main reason almost 10% of Australian children remain unimmunised.

Family finances, access to services and chronic health conditions were key factors in why some parents don’t keep their children’s injections up to date, a University of Adelaide study found.

Children living in a large household or those of single parents were also at risk of not being properly protected.

Out of 9.3% of unimmunised children, only one-in-six had parents who disagreed with vaccinations.

Associate Professor Helen Marshall said: “Socioeconomic disadvantage was an important reason why parents had children who were either partially immunised or not immunised at all.”

“Children with chronic medical conditions were also more likely not to be up-to-date with immunisations.”

The study, published in the journal Vaccine, looked at 5,000 children aged between three and 19 months.

Marshall said the findings could help programs designed to increase the uptake of vaccinations. “Reminders and rescheduling of cancelled appointments and offering immunisation in different settings may help achieve better protection for children and the community,” she said.