Home remedy use and influenza vaccination among African American and white adults: An exploratory study

Racial disparities in influenza vaccination persist between African American and White adults. It is critical to explore the reasons behind this disparity, which may be linked to the use of "folk" or home remedies for illness prevention and treatment. For this study, The GfK Group was contracted to conduct a nationally-representative survey (n = 819 African American and 838 White respondents). Respondents were asked about behaviors, attitudes, and risk perception related to the influenza vaccine, as well as frequency of home remedy use. Results were analyzed using adjusted logistic regression with 95% confidence intervals. In comparison to those who never use home remedies, those who use home remedies often or almost always were less likely to get vaccinated for influenza (respectively, OR = 0.70, CI 0.49, 0.99; OR = 0.27, CI 0.15, 0.49), less likely to be in favor of the vaccine (OR = 0.47, CI 0.33, 0.67; OR = 0.19, CI 0.10, 0.34), less likely to trust the vaccine (OR = 0.42, CI 0.29, 0.61; OR = 0.34, CI 0.20, 0.61), and more likely to perceive higher risk of vaccine side effects (OR = 1.79, CI 1.19, 2.68; OR = 4.00, CI 2.38, 6.73). These associations did not vary by race. Home remedy users may hold negative views toward the influenza vaccine, such that a combination of little trust in the vaccine process, and overestimation of risk associated with the vaccine itself, may contribute to vaccine refusal. Health care professionals can use these findings to tailor advice toward individuals with a preference for home remedy use to allay fears and correct misconceptions surrounding influenza and its vaccine.