Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Uptake and Its Socioeconomic Determinants in Patients and Staff of Hospitals in Shahroud, Northeast of Iran

Adequate research has been done on many factors associated with influenza vaccine uptake; however, some studies disagree on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the influenza vaccination.</p><p> This study aims to investigate the relationship between SES (and related factors) and seasonal influenza vaccination in northeastern Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in 2014. Demographic data was collected from the participants who were HCP (health care personnel) or were high-risk patients for the influenza disease. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the data was used to determine the participants’ SES. Relevant statistical tests were then used to assess the association between influenza vaccinations and several independent variables, including demographic features, asset indices, and health-related factors. Of the 672 participants, 24.7% (166 people) had received an influenza vaccine within the past 12 months. The rate of vaccination in patients was 21.3% and 30.7% in HCPs (P = 0.007). A higher SES was positively associated with a greater likelihood of vaccination in patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.35 - 5.43). However, there was no significant relationship between influenza vaccination and SES among HCPs. History of attending a training course on influenza vaccination was associated with vaccination coverage in both HCPs (AOR = 4.29; 95% CI = 2.39 - 7.69) and high-risk patients (AOR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.24 - 3.56). A low SES was associated with low rates of vaccination among high-risk patients. Higher vaccination rates were associated with attending a training course on the influenza vaccination among both HCPs and high-risk patients.