There are no publicly available data on re-vaccination rates for the child influenza vaccine.
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17.7% (n = 41) children vaccinated for influenza in 2016/17 were not re-vaccinated in 2017/18.
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Increased severity of, and worry about, side-effects were associated with not re-vaccinating.
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However, restricted sample sizes reduced the statistical power of these analyses.
Abstract
Child influenza vaccination rates for the UK are published annually, however there are no publicly available data on how many children are re-vaccinated the following year. This prospective cohort study aimed to identify factors associated with not re-vaccinating one’s child. Participants (n = 270) completed a questionnaire before their child was vaccinated for influenza in the 2016/17 season, and follow-up questionnaires three days and one month after their child’s vaccination. Re-vaccination data were collected at the end of the 2017/18 influenza season (n = 232, response rate 85.9%). Forty-one children (17.7%) were not re-vaccinated for influenza in 2017/18. Parental report of severe side-effects three days after vaccination (p = .04) and worry about side-effects one month after vaccination (p = .05) were associated with not re-vaccinating. However, the restricted sample size reduced the statistical power of these analyses. Decreasing parental worry about side-effects may help improve re-vaccination rates.
Clinical trial registration: The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02909855).
