Abstract
BackgroundIn Edinburgh, Scotland, lower influenza vaccine uptake has been observed in primary school children in the Polish community.MethodsTo address this disparity, the Polish-language version of the NHS Health Scotland influenza information pamphlet was updated and distributed in 2018 to all identified Polish pupils attending three pilot schools. The impact of the revised pamphlet was evaluated by examining changes in vaccine uptake in these schools as compared to a control group of schools, and a questionnaire was issued to all Polish parents in the pilot schools to explore their opinions of the pamphlet and preferred sources of immunisation information.ResultsOn average uptake was 7.4% (95% CI 1.0–13.8%, p < 0.05) higher in the three pilot schools in which the Polish-language pamphlet was distributed (28.7%) than control schools (21.3%). The questionnaire feedback was that 37.3% of respondents felt better-informed about the influenza vaccine following the pamphlet. The respondents reported that the most important information source in deciding whether to vaccinate is previous experience. Healthcare professionals were ranked lower in importance when making a decision. Parents, who refused consent (n = 65) were more likely to source information from social media, friends and family, and Polish websites compared with those who consented (n = 45).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that issuing new Polish health literature was associated with a large increase in consent form return rate and a modest increase in uptake of the influenza vaccine by Polish pupils in the pilot schools. Social media and Polish websites were found to have a greater influence over Polish parents’ decision to immunise than UK healthcare staff and health authority information. Intensive effort is required to encourage parents towards information sources where more accurate pro-vaccination messages can be promulgated by national health services and independent expert groups. The role of social media for migrant communities requires careful consideration, especially for vaccine programmes not delivered in their country of birth.
Highlights
In Edinburgh, Scotland, lower influenza vaccine uptake has been observed in primary school children in the Polish community
Rise in nasal influenza vaccine uptake in all ethnic groups in studied cohorts
The first is the assessment of impact of the Polishlanguage pamphlet on the uptake of nasal influenza vaccination among Polish pupils in the pilot cohort compared to the previous year, as well as a comparison of the pilot with a control group
Summary
In Edinburgh, Scotland, lower influenza vaccine uptake has been observed in primary school children in the Polish community. In Poland, there has been a gradual increase in mandatory vaccine refusals, from 4893 in 2007, to 23, 147 in 2016, and uptake of childhood immunisations is slowly declining, as illustrated by the decrease in uptake of the first dose of the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine; 98% in 2007 to 92% in 2019 [5]. This has resulted in a steady increase in the number of measles cases in Poland, with 188 cases in April 2019, compared to 19 in May 2018 [6]. In Poland, the purchased vaccine is administered either intramuscularly or intradermally, depending on the type [9]
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