Kids in state with flu vaccine mandate more likely to be vaccinated, study finds - University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Children in a state with an influenza vaccine mandate during the 2020–2021 flu season were much more likely to be vaccinated than those in non-mandate states, according to a study published today in Pediatrics.
A Harvard-led research team analyzed health insurance enrollment and claims data from 71,333 children aged 6 months to 18 years in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Massachusetts instituted a flu vaccine mandate during the 2020-2021 season.
The team also used county-level community COVID-19 case counts from March 2020 to August 2020 to measure area COVID-19 severity. The average child age was 9.7 years, and 45% received flu vaccines in both the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 flu seasons, 26% weren't vaccinated in either season, and 29% were vaccinated in only one season.
"Influenza vaccination uptake among children is suboptimal despite the clearly defined benefits of annual vaccination," the study authors wrote. "The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic may have changed vaccination behaviors because of concerns about coronavirus disease 2019 exposure and new mandates for influenza vaccination for children."
Previously unvaccinated saw largest gains
Previously unvaccinated children in Massachusetts had a higher predicted probability of being vaccinated against flu than those in New Hampshire and Maine (47.7% vs 21.2%, respectively). Previously vaccinated children in Massachusetts were also more likely to receive a flu shot (78.2% vs 58.2%, respectively); the difference was 6.5 percentage points higher among the previously unvaccinated.
Strategies to improve uptake of influenza vaccination may have differential impact based on previous vaccination status and should account for community factors.
Previously vaccinated children in a county with the greatest COVID-19 severity had a lower predicted probability of being vaccinated against the flu than those in a county with the lowest COVID-19 severity (72.1% vs 77.3%, respectively).
The researchers said vaccinating schoolchildren against flu is the most effective way to reduce flu incidence and hospitalization, particularly in years of low vaccine efficacy. "Strategies to improve uptake of influenza vaccination may have differential impact based on previous vaccination status and should account for community factors," they wrote.
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