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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus
Published on: February 4, 2012
Hospital utilization and costs among children with influenza, 2003
Fauziya Hassan1, Toby C Lewis, Matthew M Davis
1Division of Sleep Medicine, Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5456, USA. fhas@med.umich.edu
Insights
Over half of influenza hospitalizations and costs in children occurred in those recommended for vaccination. This highlights the significant burden of influenza in children, supporting expanded vaccination recommendations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Influenza vaccination recommendations for children were expanded by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in 2002 and 2008.
- Little is known about the hospital costs and length of stay for influenza among high-risk and healthy children affected by these recommendations.
- The national burden of influenza hospitalizations may differ between high-risk and healthy children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the national burden of influenza hospitalizations in children.
- To evaluate variations in hospital costs and length of stay among children diagnosed with influenza.
- To assess the impact of expanded influenza vaccination recommendations on hospitalization burden.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of influenza hospitalizations in 2003 using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database.
- Classification of children (
- Subdivision of groups by chronic condition status (asthma, other chronic diseases, without chronic conditions) to compare outcomes.
Main Results:
- In 2003, national costs for pediatric influenza hospitalizations totaled $76.5 million, with 55% occurring in children recommended for vaccination.
- These hospitalizations accounted for 77,264 inpatient days and 27,363 cases, averaging 2.8 days length of stay.
- Mean costs were highest for children with chronic diseases ($7774), followed by asthma ($3469) and those without chronic conditions ($2785). 41% of hospitalizations were in healthy children aged 24 months-18 years.
Conclusions:
- Over half of pediatric influenza hospitalizations and associated costs in 2003 were among children for whom vaccination was recommended.
- The significant number of influenza hospitalizations in children aged 24 months-18 years supports the expanded ACIP vaccination recommendations.
- Influenza imposes a substantial economic and healthcare burden on children, particularly those with chronic conditions.
Background:
Longstanding recommendations for influenza vaccines among children were augmented by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in 2002 and again in 2008 to encourage vaccination among healthy children aged 6 months-18 years. Little is known about the hospital costs and length of stay among high-risk and otherwise healthy children for the groups affected by the 2002 and 2008 recommendations of the ACIP. The burden of influenza may vary between children with high-risk medical conditions and those who are otherwise healthy. The objective of the current study was to characterize the national burden of influenza hospitalizations and to evaluate how hospital costs and length of stay varied among children diagnosed with influenza.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis of influenza hospitalizations was performed in 2006 using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database, a nationally representative database of hospital discharge records for children from January to December 2003. Children aged
Results:
In 2003, aggregate national costs for children with a diagnosis of influenza were $76.5 million, 55% of which was among the group for whom an influenza vaccine was recommended or encouraged in 2003. These costs corresponded to 77,264 inpatient days for 27,363 influenza hospitalizations (2.8 days average length of stay). Mean costs were higher for children with influenza and chronic diseases ($7774) compared to those for children with asthma ($3469) and children without chronic conditions ($2785). Sub-analyses regarding recently expanded national recommendations revealed that 41% of all hospitalizations with a diagnosis of influenza were among otherwise healthy children aged 24 months-18 years.
Conclusions:
In 2003, over half of the influenza hospitalizations and costs associated with influenza occurred among children for whom an influenza vaccination was recommended. The frequency of influenza hospitalizations among children aged 24 months-18 years supports recent expansion of the ACIP influenza vaccination recommendations.
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