Seasonal influenza vaccination among older adults in Jordan: prevalence, knowledge, and attitudes
Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, level of knowledge and attitudes to seasonal influenza vaccination among older adults in Jordan. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which a close-ended questionnaire was administered to older adults (65 years or older) in two...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2020-09-01
|
| Series: | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2020.1718438 |
| Summary: | Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, level of knowledge and attitudes to seasonal influenza vaccination among older adults in Jordan. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which a close-ended questionnaire was administered to older adults (65 years or older) in two major cities in Jordan between May 2018 and July 2018. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered the cutoff level for statistical significance. Results: Among 500 participants, only 1.2% (n = 6) received a seasonal influenza vaccine during the previous year. In assessing influenza disease and influenza vaccine knowledge, 47.8% had good knowledge. Around 61% of older adults reported influenza vaccine is effective against preventing influenza however, 49.8% reported that influenza could be treated with the influenza vaccine. Moreover, 27% thought the influenza vaccine is important for older adults. In terms of attitudes toward the vaccine, 24.6% had positive attitudes and 40.6% strongly agreed/agreed that influenza is a serious disease in older adults and they should take the influenza vaccine to prevent influenza. Conclusion: The results of this study showed an extremely poor influenza vaccination rate among older adults and a low level of influenza vaccination knowledge and attitudes. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2164-5515 2164-554X |