A Comparison of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Rates and Related Factors

Abstract

Aim:This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vaccine recommendations on vaccine uptake, patients’ attitudes, influenza vaccination rates, and flu-like illness in the previous year.Methods:A cross-sectional study was designed with patients (aged ≥18 years) who attended family medicine-vaccine clinics at a tertiary hospital between November 2019 and January 2020.Results:The influenza vaccination rate among 391 patients (mean age: 39.9±13.5 years) was 22.5% (88/391), and the rate of participants who were recommended to receive the vaccine was 25.3% of all with a moderate agreement (Kappa=0.39 p<0.001), although 81.3% of the subjects believed that the vaccine was beneficial and half of the patients (50.5%) positively reacted when their physician recommended. Seventeen point nine of patients who had flu-like illnesses in the previous year (72.6%) had been vaccinated. Experienced side-effect, fear of side effects and injection, and vaccine hesitancy were not barriers to vaccination acceptance. The presence of recommendation [p<0.001; Odds ratio (OR): 5.35; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.92-9.78], information on timing of vaccination (p=0.001; OR: 4.18; 95% CI: 1.82-9.59), and belief about benefits of vaccine (p=0.01; OR: 5.42; 95% CI: 1.40-21.03) were the predictors of vaccine acceptance.Conclusion:This study would contribute to a strategy, including (i) doctors’ vaccine recommendation, (ii) patient’s belief of benefit (iii) vaccination schedule (month) information, to increase the rates of influenza vaccination.

Keywords

• family medicine
• influenza
• vaccine reccomendation
• vaccination