Correlates of seasonal flu vaccination among U.S. home health aides

Introduction: Home health aides (HAs) receive limited training and reach many older patient populations highly susceptible to influenza virus. We sought to examine socio-demographic correlates of seasonal flu vaccination receipt among HAs. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2007 U.S. National Home Health Aide Survey, a nationally representative sample of HAs reporting on occupational status, job and demographic characteristics and receipt of seasonal flu vaccine (n=3377). Results: Seasonal flu vaccine receipt was low among all types of HAs (43.9%). After adjustment for socio-demographic indicators (i.e. age, gender, race and health insurance), home health, home care, hospice and personal care attendants were significantly less likely to report receiving seasonal flu vaccine as compared to licensed nursing assistants (adjusted odds ratio, AOR. =0.42, 95% CI [0.20-0.85]; 0.41, [0.17-0.99]; 0.50, [0.26-0.97], and 0.53, [0.26-0.99], respectively). Conclusion: Targeted effective vaccination campaigns are needed to improve vaccination rates among home health aides.