title: Influenza vaccination of primary healthcare physicians may be associated with vaccination in their patients: a vaccination coverage study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the contribution of physician-related factors, especially their influenza vaccine status, in the vaccination coverage of their patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A study of vaccination coverage was carried out in Spain in 2011-12. The dependent variable (vaccination coverage in patients aged ≥ 65 years) was obtained from regional records. Information was gathered on the vaccination of physicians through an anonymous web survey. We compared the vaccination coverage of patients with the vaccination of their physicians using the Student t test. Associations were determined using a multilevel regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The coverage in patients aged ≥ 65 years was 56.3% and was higher (57.3%) in patients whose physician had been vaccinated than in those whose physician had not (55.2%) (p = 0.008). In the multilevel regression model, vaccination of the physician was associated (p = 0.049) with vaccination of their patients after controlling for the effects of age (p = 0.046), region (p = 0.089), and opinions on the effectiveness of the vaccine (p = 0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vaccination of physicians together with their opinions on the effectiveness of the vaccine may be a predictor of vaccination coverage in their patients. Further studies are required to confirm this.
authors.affiliation: Agencia de Salud Pública de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain. pere.godoy@gencat.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. pere.godoy@gencat.cat.|Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Lleida, Universidad de Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain. pere.godoy@gencat.cat.
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. jesus.castilla.catalan@cfnavarra.es.|Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. jesus.castilla.catalan@cfnavarra.es.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castilla
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Vigilancia de Andalucía, Sevilla, Spain. josem.mayoral.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mayoral
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. vicente.martin@unileon.es.|Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad de León, León, Spain. vicente.martin@unileon.es.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.affiliation: Área de Epidemiología, Comunidad de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. jenaro.astray@salud.madrid.org.
authors.forename: Jenaro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Astray
authors.affiliation: Agencia de Salud Pública de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain. nuria.torner@gencat.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. nuria.torner@gencat.cat.|Departamento de Salud Pública, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. nuria.torner@gencat.cat.
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Torner
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. diannitz@gmail.com.|Departamento de Salud Pública, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. diannitz@gmail.com.|Servicio de Epidemiología, Agencia de Salud Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. diannitz@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Toledo
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. nuriasolde@gmail.com.|Departamento de Salud Pública, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. nuriasolde@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soldevila
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. fernando.gonzalez@uv.es.|Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain. fernando.gonzalez@uv.es.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: González-Candelas
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, Guipúzcoa, Spain. SUSANA.GARCIAGUTIERREZ@osakidetza.net.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Sevilla, Spain. jose.diazborrego.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diaz-Borrego
authors.affiliation: Dirección General de Salud Pública, Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Junta de Castilla y León, León, Spain. TamGomSo@jcyl.es.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamames
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. angela.dominguez@ub.edu.|Departamento de Salud Pública, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. angela.dominguez@ub.edu.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines