Who's getting shots and who's not: racial/ethnic disparities in immunization coverage

This brief report provides data from the National Health Interview Survey (1989-2002) and offers commentary on reasons for the racial/ethnic disparities in immunization coverage for both influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for persons aged > or = 65 years. The findings in this report indicate that, although influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates have increased for non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics, substantial gaps by race/ethnicity persist. Differences are observed even among individuals with similar characteristics (eg, education levels, similar numbers of healthcare visits, and similar insurance status) but from different ethnic groups. In addition, rates of vaccination for ethnic/racial groups have not increased at a sufficient rate to reach the national health objective for 2010 (90% of persons aged > 64 years receiving annual influenza vaccination and having ever received pneumococcal vaccination). By examining the successes of new initiatives such as the READII (Racial Ethnic Adult Disparities in Immunization) demonstration projects, researchers hope that progress can be made to close these racial/ethnic disparities.