title: The impact of vaccination strategy and methods of information on influenza and pneumococcal vaccination coverage in the elderly population.
abstract: We compared the coverage achieved with either an age-based, free-of-charge vaccination program offering influenza vaccine alone or with pneumococcal vaccine with a restricted risk disease-based influenza vaccination program supplemented by self-funded immunization. We also compared two means of informing the public, either using mailed personal reminders or through the mass media only. Forty-one administrative districts with a total of 41,500 persons aged 65 years or older participated in the study during three consecutive seasons from 1992 to 1994. The average vaccination coverage achieved by the risk disease-based program was 20%, by the age-based program with mass media information, 52%, and by the age-based program with mailed personal reminders 82%. The availability of free-of-charge vaccines is thus not sufficient to ensure a high vaccination rate. The effect of the personal reminders was restricted to the year they were sent. The addition of pneumococcal vaccine to the age-based influenza vaccination program had little influence on the acceptance rate.
authors.affiliation: National Public Health Institute, Department in Oulu, University of Oulu, Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, Finland.
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Honkanen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keistinen
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kivelä
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D008402:Mass Media; D017010:Reminder Systems; D012307:Risk Factors; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D007252:Influenza Vaccines