Investigating behaviours and attitudes regarding recommended vaccination in adults 50 years and above in Australia

Amalie Dyda; Harriet Lawford; Colleen L. Lau; Kim Sampson

doi:10.1071/PY24055

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Investigating behaviours and attitudes regarding recommended vaccination in adults 50 years and above in Australia

Amalie Dyda ^A ^* , Harriet Lawford ^B , Colleen L. Lau ^B and Kim Sampson ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4006, Australia.

^B Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4006, Australia.

^C Immunisation Coalition, Melbourne, Vic 3004, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: a.dyda@uq.edu.au

Australian Journal of Primary Health 30, PY24055 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY24055

Submitted: 8 May 2024 Accepted: 8 November 2024 Published: 29 November 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Vaccination is important for adults to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases. In Australia, many vaccines are recommended and funded under the Australian National Immunisation Program. However, a number of vaccines are recommended for adults but not funded. This study aimed to explore factors impacting uptake of recommended vaccines in adults aged ≥50 years in Australia.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from the general population aged ≥50 years. The survey was distributed via a market research company using a convenience sample. Data were analysed descriptively, and logistic regression was used to investigate associations between participant characteristics and vaccine uptake.

Results

A total of 1012 individuals completed the survey. The majority (67.4%) of participants reported it was important for adults to receive recommended vaccines. More than half (59.6%) felt that vaccination was more important for children. Over 60% of participants reported they knew the vaccines that they should receive. The primary reason reported for not receiving a vaccine was, ‘I do not believe it is necessary’. Being aged ≥66 years was significantly associated with uptake of influenza, pertussis, herpes zoster, and pneumococcal vaccines. Being female was associated with higher uptake for most vaccines, except for pneumococcal vaccine, where no significant association was found.

Conclusions

The importance of vaccination and risks associated with lack of vaccination need to be highlighted to this population. Recommendations from healthcare professionals continue to be one of the most important facilitators for uptake. Overall, adults reported they are unlikely to pay for recommended vaccines, making increasing uptake of these vaccines difficult.

Keywords: adults, coverage, herpes zoster, infectious diseases, influenza, pneumococcal, uptake, vaccination.

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