Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards seasonal influenza and influenza vaccine among adults with chronic diseases in the Kyrgyz Republic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Influenza is an acute viral respiratory disease of major global health concern with potential to trigger future pandemics. Annual influenza vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent seasonal influenza, however, understanding the motivators and barriers to vaccine uptake is important to define strategies that sustain national influenza immunization programs. This present study aims to understand key motivators and barriers to vaccine uptake among patients with underlying diseases in the Kyrgyz Republic. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2018 to March 2019 in patients with chronic conditions attending public health facilities in all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic. A total of 1200 participants aged 18 to 92 years old having at least one underlying disease were recruited. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the association between variables and outcomes of interests. Results Among 1118 participants enrolled in this study, more than half (63.2%) were vaccinated against influenza in the previous year. In the multivariate analysis, respondents with university degrees and divorced marital status had a significantly greater intention for vaccination (p < 0.02 and p < 0.03, respectively). Residences in the North (p = 0.003) and Osh city (p < 0.001) were associated with higher intention of vaccination. Only 42.1% of interviewees stated knowing that the influenza vaccine did not cause influenza infection (p < 0.000). Nearly half of the respondents (44.5%) indicated not having received a recommendation for influenza vaccine by a healthcare professional in the previous year. Conclusion Our study revealed higher intent to receive vaccine and previous year vaccine uptake was associated with level of educational attainment and marital status. Main barriers of vaccine uptake were lack of awareness of influenza vaccine effectiveness, fear of harmful effect from influenza vaccines, and bad experiences from vaccination among family members. These findings underline the value of understanding sociodemographic context when developing targeted messaging to encourage influenza vaccine uptake.