Patient, doctor attitudes can affect rate of flu shots.

2004 JAN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Success in immunizing the elderly against flu largely depends on attitudes of both patients and physicians, according to a study that found decreasing vaccination rates before this year's outbreak occurred.

Although many deaths can be prevented by simple, inexpensive flu shots, vaccination rates remain modest, according to Richard Kent Zimmerman, MD, MPH, of the University of Pittsburgh and colleagues. Too few adults appreciate the importance of this preventable disease and too many harbor doubts about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, Zimmerman said.

The study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Influenza immunization rates for people age 65 years or older fell to 63% in 2000-2001, well below the national goal of 90% and down from 68% a year earlier. Rates among minority groups were even lower: 49% for blacks and 52% for Hispanics.

However, the researchers found a vaccination-friendly culture at veterans' hospitals exceeded the national goal, with equally high rates among both blacks and whites.

Zimmerman and colleagues questioned 60 physicians and a sampling of 925 of their patients to discover factors affecting influenza vaccination among older adults.

The study was done before the current outbreak of a new flu strain that started earlier than usual and has produced a shortage of vaccines. The shortage is due, in part, to the fact that manufacturers cut production in response to lower-than-expected demand last year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.