Analysis of seasonal influenza vaccine uptake among children and adolescents with an intellectual disability

The aim of the present study was to describe the seasonal influenza vaccination rate and to examine its determinants for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in the community. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to analyze the data on seasonal influenza vaccination rate among 1055 ID individuals between the ages of 12-18 years. The results found that 22.9% of the study participants used the vaccine during the past three years, and the vaccination rate among different age groups varied from 18.1 to 26.5%. There was no gender difference of seasonal influenza vaccination rate among age groups. Multilevel logistic regression analysis revealed that ID individuals with moderate (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.08-2.34) or severe (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.20-4.45) disability, with an illness (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.02-2.63), who have general health exams (ever used, OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.03-2.40; regularly used, OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.05-3.41) were more likely to have seasonal influenza vaccination than their counterparts. The present study highlights that the substantial disparity in receipt of seasonal influenza vaccine in children and adolescents with ID reflects the effects of disability level, disease condition, and general health exam experience and suggests the need for greater attention to factors affecting ID individuals to improve their preventive health care.