Implementing and assessing community-based immunization education in Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander older adult communities

Introduction/Objectives: The Health Access for Pacific Asian Seniors (HAPAS) Collaborative developed culturally and linguistically appropriate immunization curriculum and conducted educational seminars in Laotian, Vietnamese, Guamanian/Chamorro, and Samoan older communities. This presentation describes the seminars, reports the findings from pre-and post-seminar evaluation surveys, and discusses the implications of the findings for future community-level immunization efforts.

Methods: Data were collected anonymously from a total of 762 Chamorro, Laotian, Samoan, and Vietnamese older adults (50+) who participated in immunization education seminars conducted in various community sites in 2003 and 2004. Pre- and post-seminar questionnaires were administered on ten immunization knowledge questions, including the influenza, Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pneumococcal vaccine. Participants' demographic and socioeconomic, and health care practice information were also obtained.

Results/Conclusion: Of the 10 maximum immunization knowledge score, the average pre-seminar immunization knowledge score varied significantly from 3.6 for Samoans to 6.1 for the Guamanian/Chamorro. Respondents who did not know that people aged 50 and older need immunization ranged from 10% for the Chamorro to 63% for the Laotian. The seminars resulted in a net gain of 2.3 score for the total, while it varied considerably from 1.9 score for Laotians to 4.0 for Samoans. A regression analysis on the pre-seminar knowledge identified several significant predictors of immunization knowledge, including education, years in the US, having received information from doctors, awareness of free/low-cost immunization places, health insurance status. HAPAS' educational seminars led to statistically significant knowledge gains, but whether these gains have resulted in behavioral changes is unknown.