Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding influenza prevention and control measures among Hispanics in San Diego County--2006.

BACKGROUND Influenza vaccination is the most effective method to avoid influenza virus infection and its potential serious complications; however, influenza vaccine is underutilized especially among minority groups. OBJECTIVES We assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding influenza prevention and control measures among Hispanics in San Diego County. METHODS We used a multistage cluster sampling scheme to administer an in-person, door-to-door KAP survey to 226 Hispanics aged > or = 18 years in three regions of San Diego County during July-August 2006. RESULTS Hispanics in the three regions sampled for this survey varied widely by age, country of birth, years living in the United States, number of border crossings in previous month, and number of people in household. Awareness of the influenza vaccine was nearly 90% among survey respondents. The percentage of Hispanic males and females aged 50-64 years who received an influenza vaccination in the previous 12 months was 7.7% and 23.5%, respectively, and the percentage of Hispanic males and females aged > or = 65 years who received an influenza vaccination in the previous 12 months was 33.3% and 59.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This survey showed high awareness of the influenza vaccine among Hispanics in San Diego County but relatively low vaccination rates among respondents aged > or = 50 years, a group targeted for influenza vaccination. Differences in awareness and vaccination rates between Hispanic males and females across all age groups indicate that educational outreach efforts should specifically target Hispanic men.