Flu vaccination among older persons: study of knowledge and practices

Abstract

BackgroundSurveys of older adults’ knowledge relative to flu immunization have highlighted its relevance in the improvement of vaccination coverage. The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of older persons who have ever been immunized against seasonal flu in the municipality of Vračar (Belgrade, Serbia), assess their knowledge related to flu and flu vaccination, and to determine factors associated with flu immunization.MethodsIn the period November 2012–January 2013, 480 persons aged above 65 years were recruited at the Community Health Center, of which 354 persons were finally included in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire. To assess the level of knowledge, correct answers were awarded 1 point. The total knowledge score ranged from 0 to 17 and was divided into three levels: poor (0–4 points), moderate (5–8 points), good (9–13 points), and excellent (14–17 points).ResultsThe proportion of ever vaccinated older persons was 47.7%. Of those, one third (29.1%) had been immunized regularly. Most seniors (61.9%) demonstrated good, whereas one third (29.8%) demonstrated excellent level of knowledge. In terms of reasons for non-compliance, the highest proportion of older persons declined vaccination because “they were in good health” (33.5%) and because “they did not believe that vaccine protects from flu” (31.5%). Independent predictors of being ever immunized against seasonal flu were having higher level of education, being more knowledgeable relative to flu vaccination, and taking more medications.ConclusionsOur results indicate that health care sector requires well-coordinated promotion campaigns to enhance acceptance of flu vaccination. Organized immunization counseling could provide accurate, evidence-based information in order to transform misbeliefs, prejudice, and negative attitude towards vaccination.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s41043-018-0159-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Redefining risk in prospect theory : how goal framing and efficacy difference interact to promote elderly Singaporeans’ influenza vaccination

“…The measurement scales in this study were largely adopted from Bartels et al's (2010) and Russell's (2009) measurement scales. Unlike their studies using college students, the targeted population in this study is the elderly adults who have higher risk of developing flu complications (Gazibara et al, 2019). Thus, when using their measures, I made two revisions.…”

“…Vaccine framing research has examined different moderators such as persuasion environment (e.g., Gerend, Shepherd, & Monday, 2008), targeted recipient (e.g., Shen & Dillard, 2007) and message format (e.g., Tait et al, 2010). The elderly's relatively low comprehension level of background knowledge (Gazibara et al, 2019) may also limit message validity in this study. During the experiment, the principal investigator and assistants made every effort to control external factors introduced in communicating with elderly participants.…”

“…In addition, this study also included adults 55-64 years old, members of the "pre-old" group whose immunization abilities have been found decrease but with relatively strong reading and listening abilities (Hong, 2007). The elderly in this group often pay more attention to and are better able to comprehend persuasive messages (Gazibara et al, 2019). As a result, their exposure to influenza vaccine messages may yield more effective responses, which merits further investigation.…”

“…Thus, the original design may weaken the message power and reduce its outcome significance. I did not use this manipulation because the sample targeted in this study was over 55 years -a vulnerable population who may have less chance to learn new knowledge and thereby make decisions based on personal experiences (Gazibara et al, 2019). Thus, it may harm them to inform them of the negativity of action (i.e., flu shots), such as 20% of people who take flu vaccines will suffer side effects.…”

“…are less likely to learn new knowledge (Gazibara et al, 2019), message design in previous studies can be complicated as most stimuli messages and questionnaires are long texts without illustrations. This study simplified some of the measurement scales and added emoji illustrations to guide the elderly.…”