206265 Using spatial analysis to determine areas of need for flu vaccination in the District of Columbia

Monday, November 9, 2009

George Siaway, PhD , Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Administration, D.C. Department of Health, Washington, DC
John Davies-Cole, PhD, MPH , Center for Policy, Planning & Evaluation, District of Columbia Department of Health, Washington, DC
Tracy E. Garner , 899 North Capitol Street NE, District of Columbia Deparment of Health, Washington, DC
Chevelle Glymph, MPH , Division of Disease Surveillance and Investigation, Center for Policy, Planning & Epidemiology, District of Columbia Department of Health, Washington, DC
  
Objective: This study seeks to explore trends in self-reported flu vaccinations (BRFSS Data) and evaluate the association between flu vaccination rates and selected socio-demographic variables.

Method: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for year 2001-2006 were used to determine directional trends and clusters of flu vaccination coverage, and the magnitude of dependency between variables.

Results: We showed that Flu vaccination rates between 35% - 71% are mostly associated with high marital status, and generally high flu vaccination rates are found in zip code areas with more married households. This pattern is similar to flu vaccination and the uninsured. We determined the magnitude of the association between marital status, the uninsured and flu vaccination. The results of the analyses are statistically significant at the specified confidence levels (p = 0.01 and p = 0.10).

Conclusions: In order to improve vaccination rates, 3-D visualization and spatial autocorrelation analysis can be used to determine the magnitude of the dependency, differentiate significant and non-significant clusters, and identify areas of need for intervention.

Learning Objectives:
Identify pockets of need for influenza vaccinations using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Assess variations in the spatial distribution of influenza vaccinations at the zip code and census tract level. Evaluate trends in the spatial distribution of influenza vaccination coverage and identify areas of high and low flu vaccination rates.

Keywords: Immunizations, Geographic Information Systems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I work within the epidemiology program of the District of Columbia Government Department of Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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