Abstract
Influenza (or flu) increases the risk of hospitalization for children with asthma. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent flu and to reduce the risk of flu-related complications. The aim of the study was to determine the rate of flu vaccination in Canadian adolescents with and without asthma. The analysis was based on data from 13164 Canadian adolescents 12-19 years of age who participated in a national survey conducted in 2013-14. Each participant was asked if he/she had a flu shot during the past 12 months, and had asthma. The rate of flu vaccination was calculated according to asthma status. All the point and variance estimates accounted for the multiple stage and stratified survey design. The overall rate of flu vaccination was 19.4% and the prevalence of asthma was 9.9% for the adolescents. The rate of flu shot was higher in asthmatics than in non-asthmatics (22.3%% vs. 19.1%, p=0.03) and decreased with age (12-14 years: 23.3%; 15-17 years: 19.5%; 18-19 years:14.2%; p<0.01), but showed no sex difference. The odds ratio for flu shot in association with asthma status was 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.44) after adjustment for age and sex. The difference in the flu shot rate between asthmatics and non-asthmatics tended to be greater in the younger than older age groups (12-14 years: 27.5% vs. 22.8%; 15-17 years: 22.8% vs. 19.2%; 18-19 years: 15.2% vs. 14.2%); however, the difference in odds ratio estimates among the age groups was not statistically significant. The rate of flu vaccination was relatively low in Canadian adolescents, and was modestly high in those with asthma. More effort should be made to increase the flu shot rate in adolescents, especially in those with asthma.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2019; 54: Suppl. 63, PA2769.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2019