Running Header: EXPANDED INFLUENZA VACCINE EDUCATION PROGRAMS 1

Expanded Influenza Vaccine Education Programs to Increase Vaccination Rates

Molly J. Short, RN

James Madison University

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Expanded Influenza Vaccine Education Programs to Increase Vaccination Rates

The first incidence of the influenza in The United States was in 1918 (Influenza

Milestones, 2018). During the first flu pandemic in 1918, 50 million people died worldwide,

with about 675,000 in the U.S. (Influenza Milestones, 2018). In the 1940s the first inactivated

influenza vaccine was created in the U.S. Starting in 1960, it was recommended by the U.S.

Public Health Service that all high risk individuals receive the influenza vaccine annually

(Influenza Milestones, 2018).

During the 2018-2019 /flu season, the influenza virus lead to 34,200 deaths. During this

same season, the national average flu vaccination rate was 62.6 % for children ages 6 months to

17 years, for adults over the age of 18 the rate was 45.3%. In Virginia during the same flu season

children age 6 months to 17 years vaccination rate was 69.6%. During the same period the rate of

adults over age 18 years was 50.6% (Flu Vax View 2019). “Compared to non-influenza acute

respiratory infection workers and influenza lose an additional half-day of work due to

absenteeism/presenteeism over the week following the symptom onset,” writes Wormer, PhD

(Wormer, Gajewski, King, McLean, Belongia, 2017).

Presently the general public learns about the flu vaccine from their primary care doctors

and commercial advertisements at the drug stores. The general public also receives a lot of

misinformation concerning the annual flu vaccine from their community and social media. This

leads the general public to think that the vaccine is unsafe and will make them sick. In the

Hospital Infection Control and Prevention article AHC Media in 2019, Dr David Russell is

quoted as saying “It’s exactly those kinds of attitudes we are going to have to change to move the

needle on infection control.” (AHC MEDIA 2019). This misinformation that the public is
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receiving is contributing to keep the influenza vaccination rates low thus increasing influenza

illness rates.

This research will show how increased vaccination education will increase vaccination

rates, thus reducing incidence of flu in general population. By broadening the sources of

information to include more multimedia to dispel myths and misconceptions about the vaccine in

the general public should lead to increased compliance demonstrated in increased vaccination

rates.

PICO

P- General public

I- Community wide education program using multiple media sources to reach the general public

C- Current standards of communication of flu vaccine education in doctors’ offices and

commercial advertisements versus a broader disbursement of myth dispelling and positive

education flu vaccine via multiple media resources.

O-To increase flu vaccination rates

Research question: Does community wide education including multimedia improve vaccination

rates in the general public compared to standard communication methods?

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https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001120
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