 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
John O. Davies-Cole, PhD, MPH and Gebreyesus Kidane, PhD, MPH. Bureau of Epidemiology and Health Risk Assessment, District of Columbia Department of Health, 825 North Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-442-9138, john.davies-cole@dc.gov
Vaccination for pneumonia and influenza is associated with reductions in hospitalizations for respiratory conditions in both healthy and at-risk groups. Though the target for the District of Columbia’s Healthy People 2010 objectives is 90% coverage for influenza and pneumonia immunizations, the rate for both vaccines between 1997-1999, ranged from 24 - 34% only. This presentation will focus on the effects of educational level, health insurance coverage, health status and geographic location on vaccination coverage in adults aged 65 years and older, in the District of Columbia. Data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 1997, 1999, and 2001. The data were analyzed using the SUDAAN software. The level of coverage and the 95% Confidence Limits (CL) were estimated. Geographic distribution of vaccination rates was plotted using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, ArcGis. Various layers of maps are plotted to show vaccination coverage by race and gender. Wards 1(19.0%), 5 (20.9%) and 6 (23.3%) had the lowest immunization coverage. Ward 3 (34.9%) and ward 4 (34.3%) had the highest coverage (P<0.03). The difference in vaccination coverage between blacks and whites was statistically significant (P<0.001). The association between vaccination rates and various socioeconomic factors will be discussed, and the important factors identified by their degree of association. This information will be useful to program managers and policy makers to plan and implement suitable intervention methods for increasing pneumonia and influenza vaccination coverage, for persons 65 years and older, in the District of Columbia.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Immunizations, Elderly
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.