Disparities in seasonal influenza vaccine uptake and language preference among Hispanic US adults: an analysis of the 2017-2020 BRFSS.

Abstract

Influenza-related hospitalization and mortality disproportionately affects the Hispanic population in theUnited States. Among other medical conditions in addition to influenza, Spanish-preferring Hispanics may be more affected than those who speak English. The purpose of this study was to compare seasonal influenza vaccine uptake rates between Spanish-and English-preferring Hispanic US adults from 2017 to 2020. For this cross-sectional study, we extracted data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from the 2017 through 2020 cycles. We calculated the population prevalence of individuals getting influenza vaccines per year, and among subpopulations based on language spoken, age, and sex. We then utilized chi-squared tests of independence to discover possible associations between these subpopulations per year. An alpha level of 0.05 was utilized in this study. Respondents were included if they identified as Hispanic, responded toquestions regarding influenza vaccine uptake, and weregrouped by the language of the survey returned, age, and sex. Our results show that self-identified Hispanic individuals who were English-preferring had greater seasonal influenza vaccine uptake rates in the latter 2years of our study for both sexes in the younger age group. Hispanic individuals over the age of 65years (n=11,328) were much more likely to have received an influenza vaccine compared to younger individuals (n=34,109). In 2018, Spanish-preferring women over age 65years (n=677) were more likely to have received a vaccine over English-preferring women (n=772). Our findings showed that disparities existbetween English- and Spanish-preferring Hispanic individuals and age groups. Language barriers may play a role in receiving influenza vaccines. The incorporation ofmedical translators may assist in reducing these disparities in influenza-related healthcare expenses, overall morbidity, and mortality.