Bridging the gap between community awareness and access: An innovative flu prevention program

Three major flu pandemics have struck the US in the last century, affecting 10 to 20% of the population each year. Vulnerable populations include the elderly and the very young. Experts believe that many communities will not be prepared for another pandemic and that those most vulnerable, apart from age, will be low-income populations. To address this concern, a needs and assets assessment (NA+A) was conducted by MPH graduate students at a low income urban Head Start in Southern CA. Level of preparedness, perceptions about the seriousness of the problem, knowledge and utilization of available resources, were assessed in light of the literature and site observations, theory-based semi-structured interviews with parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members, and a confirmatory focus group. Data were coded and themed using Grounded Theory methods. Results indicate that the community offers multiple flu preventive resources although many participants did not know these resources existed; others did not deemed these readily available. Other barriers included lack of insurance, employer inflexibility, transportation difficulties, dissatisfaction and distrust with providers, financial hardship, misinformation, and misconceptions about the flu vaccine. As a result of this assessment we developed, implemented and evaluated a pilot program promoting flu awareness, encouraging the use of local resources, and alleviating misconceptions. The presentation will discuss NA+A and pilot program results from the process and impact evaluation, program improvement and sustainability issues and an emphasis on working with communities on projects that are aimed at action by overcoming misconceptions and distrust with existing services.