Only 28 percent of older black or Hispanic people who did not get a medical
exam in the last year had a current flu vaccination, according to Stephenie
Lemon, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and colleagues.
Married white people age 75 and older who’d had
a recent checkup were mostly likely to get vaccinated, with 80 percent
receiving their
flu shot within the past year.
Although it is becoming more common to get a flu shot
at a drugstore, shopping mall or community center, the survey suggests “only modest
success of these community-based outreach efforts,” Lemon says.
Almost half of those surveyed who had not had a recent checkup also said
that they had received a flu vaccination, but only 23 percent of these
people got their vaccination at a nonmedical facility. Black and Hispanic
elderly people were less likely than white people to get flu shots at these
facilities.
“Persons who do not have regular checkups are least likely to receive
vaccinations,” Lemon says.
The researchers say the poor vaccination record among older black and
Hispanic Americans may be partly due to reduced access to health care or
worse general health among these populations.
Even when black and Hispanic patients go in for checkups, “providers
may be less likely to address vaccination during medical visits in favor
of addressing more pertinent health issues,” Lemon says.
The study included 30,668 participants nationwide who answered questions
in a health behavior telephone survey. Participants were asked if they
received a flu vaccination within the past year. Prevention guidelines
recommend a yearly flu vaccination for all people age 65 and older.
Flu and its complications are the fifth-leading cause of death among the
elderly in the United States.
