Abstract
BackgroundOverall pandemic A (H1N1) influenza vaccination rates remain low across all nations, including Japan. To increase the rates, it is important to understand the motives and barriers for the acceptance of the vaccine. We conducted this study to determine potential predictors of the uptake of A (H1N1) influenza vaccine in a cohort of Japanese general population.Methodology/Principal FindingsBy using self-administered questionnaires, this population-based longitudinal study was conducted from October 2009 to April 2010 among 428 adults aged 18–65 years randomly selected from each household residing in four wards and one city in Tokyo. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Of total, 38.1% of participants received seasonal influenza vaccine during the preceding season, 57.0% had willingness to accept A (H1N1) influenza vaccine at baseline, and 12.1% had received A (H1N1) influenza vaccine by the time of follow-up. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, people who had been vaccinated were significantly more likely to be living with an underlying disease (p = 0.001), to perceive high susceptibility to influenza (p = 0.03), to have willingness to pay even if the vaccine costs ≥ US$44 (p = 0.04), to have received seasonal influenza vaccine during the preceding season (p<0.001), and to have willingness to accept A (H1N1) influenza vaccine at baseline (p<0.001) compared to those who had not been vaccinated.Conclusions/SignificanceWhile studies have reported high rates of willingness to receive A (H1N1) influenza vaccine, these rates may not transpire in the actual practices. The uptake of the vaccine may be determined by several potential factors such as perceived susceptibility to influenza and sensitivity to vaccination cost in general population.
Highlights
A new swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) emerged in early 2009 in Mexico and the United States and has since spread worldwide [1]
Regarding knowledge on A (H1N1) influenza and its vaccine, we evaluated the correct responses to four yes/no questions regarding modes of transmission, the fact that there have been healthy people who had died from A (H1N1) influenza, people at risk of A (H1N1) influenza, effectiveness of antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza against A (H1N1) influenza, and side effects of vaccine against A (H1N1) influenza
38.1% received seasonal influenza vaccine during the preceding season (2008–2009), 57.0% had willingness to accept A (H1N1) influenza vaccine at baseline, and 12.1% had been vaccinated by the time of follow-up
Summary
A new swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) emerged in early 2009 in Mexico and the United States and has since spread worldwide [1]. The identified factors consistently reported in these studies include personal experience of getting vaccinated against seasonal influenza [12,14,15], personal perception of high risk of getting infected by A (H1N1) influenza [15,16,17], attitudes towards vaccine efficacy and safety [6,18,19,20], perceived barriers to get vaccinated [21,22], and social norms regarding A (H1N1) influenza vaccination [21] These findings are important in response to the need for revising or constructing a preparedness plan in early stage of the fight against the pandemic A (H1N1) influenza.
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