083An Examination of the Factors Associated with Influenza Vaccination Uptake among Older People

Abstract

Background: Influenza immunisation is a primary preventative health intervention which is recommended for high-risk groups including older people, however, the uptake rate in Ireland fails to reach the WHO and European Commission annual target uptake rate of over 75%. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of influenza vaccination among people aged 65 and over and the demographic, socio-economic and health predictors of influenza vaccination uptake in 21 Irish Local Authority areas. Method(s): The Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative (HaPAI) survey data was used (n = 10,540) which is a random-sample, population representative survey of people aged 55 and older, living in 21 Local Authority areas in Ireland (2015-2016). Stata 14 was used to carry out descriptive statistics and a mixed-effects logistic regression. Seasonality was also adjusted for in the model. Result(s): Of the 6,548 eligible participants, 65% received the influenza vaccination (ranging from 46%-79% across the 21 Local Authority areas). Uptake of the influenza vaccination was significantly associated with being male, age, marital status, household composition and occupational status. In terms of health, the likelihood of getting the flu vaccination was significantly higher among respondents who need assistance with mobility, have fair/poor self-rated health, have two or more chronic conditions and are past smokers. Compared to respondents with no health cover, uptake was significantly higher among respondents with dual health cover (medical card and health insurance), followed by respondents with a full medical card, private health insurance and a GP-only card. Conclusion(s): The prevalence of influenza vaccination remains below the WHO and EU Commission target level. Understanding the factors that influence influenza vaccination uptake among older people will inform future community public health plans to increase immunisation rates among older people. These local uptake rates may inform localised, targeted efforts to improve coverage.