Influenza vaccine and the elderly

The objectives of this study were to estimate influenza vaccination coverage among the elderly, identify the reasons for non-adherence to the vaccine and analyze the factors associated with adherence to vaccination. The methodology used to achieve these objectives was a cross-sectional population-based study using data from the Health, Well-being and Ageing Project (SABE). The study included people aged 60 and over living in the city of São Paulo/SP, Brazil. The final sample consisted of 1,399 elderly people of both sexes, selected using probabilistic cluster sampling. The data analysis took into account the sampling weights, enabling the inference of the representativeness of the conclusions. The dependent variable was the report of influenza vaccination in 2006. The independent variables included demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics, self-reported health conditions and use of and access to health services. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used as measures of effect and association between variables, as estimated directly and with multivariate adjustment using Poisson regression.