Factors Associated with Influenza Vaccination Location in Korean Adult Population

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Increasing the influenza vaccination rate is important because influenza infection can cause serious illness or death. One way to increase vaccination rates is to expand the number of vaccination sites. This study examined the location of influenza vaccination in 2016 according to sex, age, socioeconomic status, and health behavior variables.METHODS: The study included 2,485 subjects from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey aged 19 years or older who had received the vaccine. Variables that could affect health behaviors were examined by the chi-square test or t-test. The odds ratios (ORs) of public health center inoculations between different income and education groups, adjusted for age and sex, were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.RESULTS: People aged 65 years or older, those living in rural areas, those with low incomes, those with up to elementary school education, and those with underlying diseases had the lowest vaccination rates at medical clinics and hospitals (P-value<0.05). The ORs for public health center inoculations were significantly higher in those with lower incomes and those with elementary school education than in those with higher incomes and those with more than university level education (OR 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.67–3.77 and OR 2.60, 95% CI; 1.72–3.95, respectively).CONCLUSION: To improve the influenza vaccination rates at medical clinics and hospitals among groups with low vaccination rates, we need to actively encourage high-risk patients to receive vaccinations.