Considering Influenza Vaccination for Everyone 6 Months of Age and Older, What Do We Know about the Remaining 15%?

Background:
Current influenza vaccination recommendations include nearly everyone. Those without indications (<6 months of age and 18-49 year olds who are not at high risk, household contacts, or health care personnel) comprise only 15% of the U.S. population. The NIS surveyed a representative sample of adults aged 18-49 years during the summer of 2007 about their KABs related to influenza vaccination.

Objectives:
Describe influenza vaccination coverage and selected related KAB findings of NIS-Adult among the 18-49 year-olds.

Methods:
n/a

Results:
Of the 1,835 adults aged 18-49 years surveyed, 316 (17%) had chronic conditions placing them at high risk for serious complications from influenza; an additional 579 (32%) were household contacts to high-risk persons; 104 (6%) more were health care personnel, leaving 836 (46%) with no reported indications to receive influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination coverage levels with 95% CIs for each of these groups, respectively, were as follows: 37% (28-46); 28% (23-34); 38% (25-52); and 18% (15-22). Combining groups, coverage and 95% CIs for those with indications compared to those without, overall and among whites vs. blacks and Hispanics were as follows: 31% (26-36) compared to 18% (15-22); 36% (29-43) vs. 23% (15-34) and 20% (15-27); compared to 19% (15-24) vs. 12% (6-21) and 19% (13-27), respectively. (Additional results such as reasons for non-vaccination, plans for vaccination if doctor recommends and knowledge and attitudes about influenza and influenza vaccination will be presented.)

Conclusions:
Influenza vaccination coverage among 18-49 year-olds with indications of high-risk status and/or being a household contact of someone at high risk are very low. Assuming that with a ‘universal' influenza vaccination recommendation, levels among those without indications will rise to the levels among those with indications, there would be about 6 million additional 18-49 year-old vaccinees per influenza season.