283771
Association of seasonal influenza incidence and vaccination rates among Virginia tech employees
Objectives for this project involve determining, from prospective data, the impact of influenza vaccination participation and health education guidelines, on the incidence of influenza-like illnesses in faculty and staff, throughout the 2012-2013 school year.
A survey will be prepared and sent to all faculty and staff employees to obtain data on employment classification and demographics, perception of value of vaccination and adoption of other preventive measures against seasonal influenza, as well as vaccination status and incidence of influenza-like illness. Data will be analyzed using univariate and multivariable categorical data analysis methods including logistic regression in SASⓇ.
Results are expected to indicate an association in Virginia Tech employees between vaccination, self-reported incidence of influenza like-illness, and individual perception of the vaccination. Employees who seek regular medical care from a primary care provider are expected to use an array of disease prevention techniques, have a favorable perspective of safety and efficacy of vaccinations, and will have a lower incidence of influenza-like illness.
Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health educationOccupational health and safety
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify and describe local, regional, national, and global infectious disease problems with regards to influenza.
The learning objectives that will be addressed and focused on during this presentation will include analyzing the social and behavioral factors affecting health of individuals and populations, assessing determinants and dynamics of health in communities and populations for the design and implementation of interventions that protect, maintain and /or restore health, well-being and productivity in individuals and populations, and finally analyze, interpret and present public health data and strengths and limitation of public health source material. All of the data that will be presented and used for this event will be gathered from the employee population at Virginia Tech.
Keyword(s): Health Disparities, Occupational Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a graduate student in the Population Health Science department at Virginia Tech and have been completing my research/practicum project on under the direction of Cynthia Karlsson who is the director for Employee Wellness at VT. My work and interest is directly based on employee prevention, exposure and contraction of seasonal influenza while additionally considering demographics that could potentially leave them at risk for infection.
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.