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. 2022 Sep-Oct;137(5):936-943.
doi: 10.1177/00333549211041659. Epub 2021 Sep 15.

Influenza Vaccination in Massachusetts Jails: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

Sarah Khorasani  1 , Julia Zubiago  2 , Jac Carreiro  1 , Rubeen Guardado  2 , Alysse G Wurcel  1   2
Affiliations

Influenza Vaccination in Massachusetts Jails: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

Sarah Khorasani et al. Public Health Rep. 2022 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Influenza infects millions of people each year and contributes to tens of thousands of deaths annually despite the availability of vaccines. People most at risk of influenza complications are disproportionately represented in people incarcerated in US prisons and jails. The objectives of this study were to survey health administrators in Massachusetts county jails about institutional influenza vaccine policies and practices and estimate influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails from 2013 to 2020.

Methods: In April 2020, we administered surveys to the health services administrators in Massachusetts' 14 county jails to gather information about influenza vaccination policies and delivery practices. To calculate influenza vaccination rates for each facility, we obtained data on influenza vaccine orders from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for each county in Massachusetts for influenza seasons 2013-2020. We calculated summary statistics for each reporting facility and each year, conducted a Kruskal-Wallis analysis to compare vaccination rates between years, and used a linear regression model to identify predictors of vaccination rates.

Results: Influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails ranged from 1.9% to 11.8%. We found no significant differences in vaccination rates between years. Influenza vaccine ordering and delivery practices varied by jail, and respondents had high levels of confidence in influenza policies and vaccine delivery practices.

Conclusions: Influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails are low, and delivery practices in jails vary. Lack of influenza vaccinations in jails is a gap in health care that needs to be prioritized, especially considering the current COVID-19 pandemic. Further investigations for effective and equitable vaccination in this population should involve people who are incarcerated and people who make influenza vaccine policies in jails.

Keywords: community health; correctional facilities/prisons; health policy; influenza; public health; vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails by influenza season, 2013-2020. The horizontal line in the middle of each box indicates the median; the top and bottom borders of the box mark the 75th and 25th percentiles, respectively. The whiskers above and below the box mark the 90th and 10th percentiles, respectively. The points beyond the whiskers are outliers beyond the 90th percentile. Kruskal–Wallis χ2 = 1.28 (df = 6; P = .97). Vaccination rates calculated using influenza vaccine ordering information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for Massachusetts county jails.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Seasonal influenza vaccination rates in Massachusetts jails by facility, 2013-2020. Each dashed line represents a jail, the thick black line represents locally estimated scatterplot smoothing, and the shadow represents SE. Data were not available for all jails in all years during the study period. Vaccination rates calculated by using influenza vaccine ordering information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for Massachusetts county jails.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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