Flu Vaccine Is a Hard Sell to Some Parents of Children With Asthma

SEATTLE — In one-third of children with asthma who are not vaccinated against influenza, the vaccine is withheld because parents believe it has no benefit, according to results of a study of 93 children and their parents.

Influenza exacerbates asthma, and annual flu vaccination is recommended for high-risk children, including those with chronic asthma, Dr. Sudha Reddy, a fellow at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, and her colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

To determine the prevalence of flu vaccination among children with asthma and reasons for receipt and nonreceipt of the vaccine, the investigators conducted a clinic-based study in the fall of 2004.

“During that year, there was a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine due to manufacturing problems,” Dr. Reddy noted in an interview. Given media coverage of the shortage and the resulting increased public awareness, Dr. Reddy and her colleagues hypothesized that vaccination rates would be high.

Study participants were aged 5-18 years, had established asthma, and were visiting an allergy clinic in a university-affiliated hospital. They and their parents completed questionnaires asking about demographics, the severity of their asthma, their influenza vaccination status, and reasons for vaccinating or not vaccinating.

Asthma was rated as mild in 55% and as moderate or severe in 45%.

Sixty-seven percent of the children received the flu vaccine. The leading reason that parents gave for vaccinating was that a physician recommended it (44%). Other reasons were: routinely getting the vaccine on an annual basis (21%), hearing about it through school (15%), being aware of the vaccine (12%), and news of the vaccine shortage (8%).

On the other hand, the leading reason parents gave for not vaccinating their children was lack of benefit of the vaccine, cited by 32%, which Dr. Reddy commented was surprising.

Other reasons included a previous experience of vaccine-related adverse events (22%), a perception that the children would not get the flu (16%), a preference that the children would become ill rather than receive the vaccine (10%), an allergy to eggs (6%), a preference to not vaccinate (6%), and failure of the physician to recommend vaccination (3%). (In all, 5% of the parents did not respond to this question.)

In terms of perceived benefits of the flu vaccine, 48% of parents overall believed that it prevented influenza illness, and 47% believed that it helped control asthma.

Among children who received the vaccine, the most common adverse events were local pain (44%) and fever (13%). Only 2% experienced a worsening of their asthma.

The majority of parents (61%) said that their physician was their source of information about flu vaccination. Other sources included the media generally (23%), news regarding the vaccine shortage specifically (13%), and family members (3%).

The investigators concluded that physicians remain the best source of information on the flu vaccine for most patients and should discuss the topic with patients at every opportunity for vaccination.

Dr. Reddy reported that she had no conflicts of interest in association with the study.

The leading reason parents gave for having their children vaccinated was recommendation by a physician. DR. REDDY

SEATTLE — In one-third of children with asthma who are not vaccinated against influenza, the vaccine is withheld because parents believe it has no benefit, according to results of a study of 93 children and their parents.

Influenza exacerbates asthma, and annual flu vaccination is recommended for high-risk children, including those with chronic asthma, Dr. Sudha Reddy, a fellow at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, and her colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

To determine the prevalence of flu vaccination among children with asthma and reasons for receipt and nonreceipt of the vaccine, the investigators conducted a clinic-based study in the fall of 2004.

“During that year, there was a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine due to manufacturing problems,” Dr. Reddy noted in an interview. Given media coverage of the shortage and the resulting increased public awareness, Dr. Reddy and her colleagues hypothesized that vaccination rates would be high.

Study participants were aged 5-18 years, had established asthma, and were visiting an allergy clinic in a university-affiliated hospital. They and their parents completed questionnaires asking about demographics, the severity of their asthma, their influenza vaccination status, and reasons for vaccinating or not vaccinating.

Asthma was rated as mild in 55% and as moderate or severe in 45%.

Sixty-seven percent of the children received the flu vaccine. The leading reason that parents gave for vaccinating was that a physician recommended it (44%). Other reasons were: routinely getting the vaccine on an annual basis (21%), hearing about it through school (15%), being aware of the vaccine (12%), and news of the vaccine shortage (8%).

On the other hand, the leading reason parents gave for not vaccinating their children was lack of benefit of the vaccine, cited by 32%, which Dr. Reddy commented was surprising.

Other reasons included a previous experience of vaccine-related adverse events (22%), a perception that the children would not get the flu (16%), a preference that the children would become ill rather than receive the vaccine (10%), an allergy to eggs (6%), a preference to not vaccinate (6%), and failure of the physician to recommend vaccination (3%). (In all, 5% of the parents did not respond to this question.)

In terms of perceived benefits of the flu vaccine, 48% of parents overall believed that it prevented influenza illness, and 47% believed that it helped control asthma.

Among children who received the vaccine, the most common adverse events were local pain (44%) and fever (13%). Only 2% experienced a worsening of their asthma.

The majority of parents (61%) said that their physician was their source of information about flu vaccination. Other sources included the media generally (23%), news regarding the vaccine shortage specifically (13%), and family members (3%).

The investigators concluded that physicians remain the best source of information on the flu vaccine for most patients and should discuss the topic with patients at every opportunity for vaccination.

Dr. Reddy reported that she had no conflicts of interest in association with the study.

The leading reason parents gave for having their children vaccinated was recommendation by a physician. DR. REDDY

SEATTLE — In one-third of children with asthma who are not vaccinated against influenza, the vaccine is withheld because parents believe it has no benefit, according to results of a study of 93 children and their parents.

Influenza exacerbates asthma, and annual flu vaccination is recommended for high-risk children, including those with chronic asthma, Dr. Sudha Reddy, a fellow at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, and her colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

To determine the prevalence of flu vaccination among children with asthma and reasons for receipt and nonreceipt of the vaccine, the investigators conducted a clinic-based study in the fall of 2004.

“During that year, there was a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine due to manufacturing problems,” Dr. Reddy noted in an interview. Given media coverage of the shortage and the resulting increased public awareness, Dr. Reddy and her colleagues hypothesized that vaccination rates would be high.

Study participants were aged 5-18 years, had established asthma, and were visiting an allergy clinic in a university-affiliated hospital. They and their parents completed questionnaires asking about demographics, the severity of their asthma, their influenza vaccination status, and reasons for vaccinating or not vaccinating.

Asthma was rated as mild in 55% and as moderate or severe in 45%.

Sixty-seven percent of the children received the flu vaccine. The leading reason that parents gave for vaccinating was that a physician recommended it (44%). Other reasons were: routinely getting the vaccine on an annual basis (21%), hearing about it through school (15%), being aware of the vaccine (12%), and news of the vaccine shortage (8%).

On the other hand, the leading reason parents gave for not vaccinating their children was lack of benefit of the vaccine, cited by 32%, which Dr. Reddy commented was surprising.

Other reasons included a previous experience of vaccine-related adverse events (22%), a perception that the children would not get the flu (16%), a preference that the children would become ill rather than receive the vaccine (10%), an allergy to eggs (6%), a preference to not vaccinate (6%), and failure of the physician to recommend vaccination (3%). (In all, 5% of the parents did not respond to this question.)

In terms of perceived benefits of the flu vaccine, 48% of parents overall believed that it prevented influenza illness, and 47% believed that it helped control asthma.

Among children who received the vaccine, the most common adverse events were local pain (44%) and fever (13%). Only 2% experienced a worsening of their asthma.

The majority of parents (61%) said that their physician was their source of information about flu vaccination. Other sources included the media generally (23%), news regarding the vaccine shortage specifically (13%), and family members (3%).

The investigators concluded that physicians remain the best source of information on the flu vaccine for most patients and should discuss the topic with patients at every opportunity for vaccination.

Dr. Reddy reported that she had no conflicts of interest in association with the study.

The leading reason parents gave for having their children vaccinated was recommendation by a physician. DR. REDDY