Factors associated with utilization of the swine flu vaccination program among senior citizens in Tompkins County

The health belief model is tested in the context of the swine flu vaccination program for senior citizens. Analysis is based on 232 responses to a questionnaire mailed to a simple random sample of 500 senior citizens in Tompkins County, New York. Social and psychologic variables identified by the model as important in determining utilization of preventive health services are: perceived susceptibility and severity of disease, perceived efficacy and danger associated with the preventive action, and general health motivations. Differences of means between users and nonusers for these variables are computed and compared with the results of a more sophisticated analytic technique--logit analysis--for use with dichotomous dependent variables. Results reveal that the health belief model accounts for 34 per cent of the variance in use of the vaccine by senior citizens. Perceived susceptibility to the disease and amount of danger associated with receiving the swine flu immunization are found to be the most important determinants of utilization.