Influenza vaccination among persons with work-related asthma.

BACKGROUND Seasonal influenza vaccination is recommended for all asthma patients. Persons with work-related asthma may have more severe disease than those with non-work-related asthma and may particularly benefit from receiving influenza vaccination. PURPOSE To determine if influenza vaccination coverage differs among individuals aged 18-64 years with work-related and non-work-related asthma. METHODS Data from the 2006-2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Asthma Call-Back Survey collected in 38 states and the District of Columbia were analyzed in 2013. Multivariable logistic regression and predictive marginal analyses were conducted to identify factors independently associated with influenza vaccination among respondents aged 18-64 years with work-related asthma. RESULTS Among adults aged 18-64 years with current asthma, an estimated 42.7% received influenza vaccination in the past 12 months. Although influenza vaccination coverage was significantly higher among adults with work-related asthma than those with non-work-related asthma (48.5% vs 42.8%), this association became non-significant after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics (prevalence ratio=1.08, 95% CI=0.99, 1.20). Among individuals with work-related asthma, receiving the influenza vaccine was associated with being 50-64 years old, being unemployed in the prior year, and seeking urgent treatment for worsening asthma symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Among persons with work-related and non-work-related asthma, less than half received influenza vaccination in the prior year, both below the Healthy People 2010 target of 60%. These results suggest the need for strengthening current vaccination interventions to meet the updated Healthy People 2020 objective of achieving at least 70% influenza vaccination coverage.