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. 2022 Feb 15;10(2):293.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10020293.

Influenza Vaccination Uptake in the General Italian Population during the 2020-2021 Flu Season: Data from the EPICOVID-19 Online Web-Based Survey

Andrea Giacomelli  1 , Massimo Galli  1   2 , Stefania Maggi  3 , Marianna Noale  3 , Caterina Trevisan  4 , Gabriele Pagani  5 , Raffaele Antonelli-Incalzi  6 , Sabrina Molinaro  7 , Luca Bastiani  7 , Liliana Cori  8 , Fabrizio Bianchi  8 , Nithiya Jesuthasan  9 , Federica Prinelli  9 , Fulvio Adorni  9
Affiliations

Influenza Vaccination Uptake in the General Italian Population during the 2020-2021 Flu Season: Data from the EPICOVID-19 Online Web-Based Survey

Andrea Giacomelli et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

To assess influenza vaccine uptake during the 2020/2021 flu season and compare it with that of the 2019/2020 flu season among respondents to the second phase of the web-based EPICOVID-19 survey, we performed an observational web-based nationwide online survey (January-February 2021) in which respondents to the first survey (April-June 2020) were contacted and asked to complete a second questionnaire. Factors associated with vaccine uptake in the 2020/2021 flu season were assessed by applying a multivariable multinomial logistic regression model. Out of the 198,822 respondents to the first survey, 41,473 (20.9%) agreed to fill out the follow-up questionnaire; of these, 8339 (20.1%) were vaccinated only during the 2020/2021 season, 8828 (21.3%) were vaccinated during both seasons and 22,710 (54.8%) were vaccinated in neither season. Educational level (medium (aOR 1.33 95%CI 1.13-1.56) and high (aOR 1.69 95%CI 1.44-1.97) vs. low) and socio-economic deprivation according to SES scoring (1 point aOR 0.83 (95%CI 0.78-0.89), 2 aOR 0.68 (95%CI 0.60-0.77) points or ≥3 points aOR 0.42 (95%CI 0.28-0.45) vs. 0 points) were found to be associated with flu vaccine uptake. Our study shows that social determinants seemed to affect flu vaccination uptake and identifies specific categories of the population to target during future influenza vaccination campaigns.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; determinants; flu vaccination; influenza season; vaccine hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot of the results from multivariate multinomial logistic regression models of factors associated with flu shot uptake in the 2020/2021 season in respondents aged <65 years. ^ For each additional 5 years of age. ref, reference category; aOR, adjusted odds ratios; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the results from multivariate multinomial logistic regression models of factors associated with flu shot uptake in the 2020/2021 season in respondents aged ≥65 years. ^ For each additional 5 years of age. ref, reference category; aOR, adjusted odds ratios; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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