Focus group study on perceptions and information needs regarding vaccines targeting the older population: a cross-country comparison in four European countries

Abstract

The increasing life expectancy leads to more older adults suffering from infectious diseases. Vaccines are available against diverse infections such as influenza, pneumococcal disease, herpes zoster and tetanus. However, vaccine acceptance is crucial for optimal preventive effect. The objective of the study is to perform a cross-country analysis of the perceptions and decision-making behaviour of older adults regarding vaccinations and their information needs. Focus groups with older adults were conducted in four countries: France, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Demographic characteristics of participants were gathered with a questionnaire. Influenza and tetanus vaccines were commonly known, as was the disease influenza. On the contrary, the awareness of the vaccines against pneumococcal disease and herpes zoster were low. Participants also expressed a need for more information on vaccines, such as possible side effects, contra-indications and duration of protection, emphasizing that information is a condition for decision-making on vaccination. General practitioners were found to be the most important in information provision on vaccines. Perceptions on vaccines, such as effectiveness, side effects and safety, as well as perceptions on infectious diseases, such as severity, susceptibility and experiencing an infectious disease, played a role in the decision-making of older adults on vaccines. More awareness of the information needs among older adults with regard to vaccines should be raised among general practitioners and other healthcare providers. This requires appropriate knowledge about the vaccines among healthcare providers as well as communication skills to meet the information needs of older adults.

Keywords: Decision-making; Infectious diseases; Older adults; Qualitative; Vaccines.

Fig. 1

Vaccine uptake among the focus group participants per country

Fig. 2

Cross-country analysis of the themes derived from the focus groups. The sub-themes found in all countries are dark blue, whereas pale blue indicates that the sub-theme ‘Alternative strategies to prevent infectious diseases’ was found in all countries, except Italy. The results of selective coding are indicated by blocks with a matching line around it. Thus, the themes “awareness” and “information provision” were related (green line), as were the sub-themes “perceived severity” and “other” (yellow line). In France only, the perceived safety and healthcare professionals were related (pink line)

Fig. 3

Examples of the information preferences of older adults regarding vaccinations. The green spots represent the three topics we asked participants with regard to their information preferences: (1) content of the message, (2) channel (what way) and (3) source (from whom). The white spots with a green line around it show participants’ information preferences regarding these three topics