An Exploratory Assessment of Factors with Which Influenza Vaccine Uptake Is Associated in Hungarian Adults 65 Years Old and Older: Findings from European Health Interview Surveys

Abstract

Influenza vaccination is an imperative public health task for elderly people due to a higher risk of developing more severe complications. The main aim of our study was to determine the influencing factors of being vaccinated against influenza among subjects aged 65 and above. Data were from the Hungarian implementations of the European Health Interview Survey 2009, 2014 and 2019 studies with a final sample size of 3355. A multivariate logistic regression model with interactions was used to identify the possible factors associated with vaccination. Approximately 32% of the participants were vaccinated for the most recent influenza season. The most important factors were identified that contributed to influenza vaccination among individuals, which were the following: educational attainment, having a partner, the annual frequency of specialist and doctor visits, and having comorbidities. Respondents who thought that they could do a lot for their health had higher odds of being immunized. Being obese seemed to be a risk factor. According to our findings, the current influenza vaccination coverage was considered as low in Hungary; hence, the implementation of minor reformulations in the field of health policy is suggested.