Giuseppe
Emeritus
[Source: PLoS ONE, full text: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
Do People Taking Flu Vaccines Need Them the Most?
Qian Gu<SUP>1</SUP>, Neeraj Sood<SUP>2</SUP><SUP>*</SUP>
1 KNG Health Consulting. Rockville, Maryland, United States of America, 2 Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Abstract
Background
A well targeted flu vaccine strategy can ensure that vaccines go to those who are at the highest risk of getting infected if unvaccinated. However, prior research has not explicitly examined the association between the risk of flu infection and vaccination rates.
Purpose
This study examines the relationship between the risk of flu infection and the probability of getting vaccinated.
Methods
Nationally representative data from the US and multivariate regression models were used to estimate what individual characteristics are associated with (1) the risk of flu infection when unvaccinated and (2) flu vaccination rates. These results were used to estimate the correlation between the probability of infection and the probability of getting vaccinated. Separate analyses were performed for the general population and the high priority population that is at increased risk of flu related complications.
Results
We find that the high priority population was more likely to get vaccinated compared to the general population. However, within both the high priority and general populations the risk of flu infection when unvaccinated was negatively correlated with vaccination rates (r = −0.067, p<0.01). This negative association between the risk of infection when unvaccinated and the probability of vaccination was stronger for the high priority population (r = −0.361, p<0.01).
Conclusions
There is a poor match between those who get flu vaccines and those who have a high risk of flu infection within both the high priority and general populations. Targeting vaccination to people with low socioeconomic status, people who are engaged in unhealthy behaviors, working people, and families with kids will likely improve effectiveness of flu vaccine policy.
Citation: Gu Q, Sood N (2011) Do People Taking Flu Vaccines Need Them the Most? PLoS ONE 6(12): e26347. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026347
Editor: T. Mark Doherty, Statens Serum Institute, Denmark
Received: June 14, 2011; Accepted: September 25, 2011; Published: December 2, 2011
Copyright: ? 2011 Gu, Sood. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: The authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing interests: Dr. Gu is currently a senior research associate with KNG Health Consulting. This manuscript, however, is based on his previous work as a post-doctoral research associate at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California. Dr. Gu 's affiliation with KNG Health Consulting does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors do not have any conflict of interest to declare.
* E-mail: nsood@usc.edu
- -------Qian Gu<SUP>1</SUP>, Neeraj Sood<SUP>2</SUP><SUP>*</SUP>
1 KNG Health Consulting. Rockville, Maryland, United States of America, 2 Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Abstract
Background
A well targeted flu vaccine strategy can ensure that vaccines go to those who are at the highest risk of getting infected if unvaccinated. However, prior research has not explicitly examined the association between the risk of flu infection and vaccination rates.
Purpose
This study examines the relationship between the risk of flu infection and the probability of getting vaccinated.
Methods
Nationally representative data from the US and multivariate regression models were used to estimate what individual characteristics are associated with (1) the risk of flu infection when unvaccinated and (2) flu vaccination rates. These results were used to estimate the correlation between the probability of infection and the probability of getting vaccinated. Separate analyses were performed for the general population and the high priority population that is at increased risk of flu related complications.
Results
We find that the high priority population was more likely to get vaccinated compared to the general population. However, within both the high priority and general populations the risk of flu infection when unvaccinated was negatively correlated with vaccination rates (r = −0.067, p<0.01). This negative association between the risk of infection when unvaccinated and the probability of vaccination was stronger for the high priority population (r = −0.361, p<0.01).
Conclusions
There is a poor match between those who get flu vaccines and those who have a high risk of flu infection within both the high priority and general populations. Targeting vaccination to people with low socioeconomic status, people who are engaged in unhealthy behaviors, working people, and families with kids will likely improve effectiveness of flu vaccine policy.
Citation: Gu Q, Sood N (2011) Do People Taking Flu Vaccines Need Them the Most? PLoS ONE 6(12): e26347. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026347
Editor: T. Mark Doherty, Statens Serum Institute, Denmark
Received: June 14, 2011; Accepted: September 25, 2011; Published: December 2, 2011
Copyright: ? 2011 Gu, Sood. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: The authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing interests: Dr. Gu is currently a senior research associate with KNG Health Consulting. This manuscript, however, is based on his previous work as a post-doctoral research associate at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California. Dr. Gu 's affiliation with KNG Health Consulting does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors do not have any conflict of interest to declare.
* E-mail: nsood@usc.edu