Flu vaccinations: College campus not making the grade. A study of influenza vaccination at an urban public university

Objective: Even healthy college students are vulnerable to severe complications associated with seasonal influenza (flu). Despite national directives to increase influenza vaccination compliance, college campuses remain woefully below national goals. This study aimed to identify factors correlated w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of American college health Vol. 71; no. 8; pp. 2501 - 2509
Main Authors Kreiger, Joan E., Zigmont, Victoria A., Michalski, Carrie D., Borgognone, Kristen S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Taylor & Francis 13.10.2023
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects
Academic disciplines
College campuses
College student
College students
Compliance
Enrollments
flu
health major
Human papillomavirus
Immunization
Influenza
Marijuana
Polls & surveys
Student Characteristics
Undergraduate students
Universities
Urban Schools
Urban Universities
vaccination
vaccine
Vaccines
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Summary:Objective: Even healthy college students are vulnerable to severe complications associated with seasonal influenza (flu). Despite national directives to increase influenza vaccination compliance, college campuses remain woefully below national goals. This study aimed to identify factors correlated with the decision to voluntarily receive an influenza vaccine. Additionally, students' reasons for non-vaccination were also examined. Participants: 1021 undergraduate students across four professional schools. Methods: A representative cross-sectional survey was conducted at a public, urban university. Results: The survey measured self-reported influenza vaccination: an overall influenza vaccination rate of 38% was identified. Student characteristics associated with increased influenza vaccination included students' enrollment in academic health disciplines; being female; human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination; and no marijuana use in the last month. Barriers to influenza vaccination included contraindications, mistrust issues, and personal reasons. Conclusion: Universities that can identify facilitators and barriers to voluntary influenza vaccination can assist with program initiatives to improve influenza vaccination compliance rates.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
DOI:10.1080/07448481.2021.1976192