Office-Based Educational Handout for Influenza Vaccination: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious disease prevention
• Public health interventions
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Influenza remains a significant public health concern, necessitating effective vaccination strategies.
• Childhood vaccination rates for influenza can be improved through targeted interventions.
• Parental understanding of influenza risks and vaccine benefits is crucial for uptake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a parent educational intervention on child influenza vaccine receipt.
• To compare the impact of local versus national data-based educational materials.
• To determine the optimal timing for delivering educational interventions to parents.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial involving parents of children aged 6 months and older at two NYC pediatric clinics.
• Intervention groups received educational handouts on influenza disease (local or national data) in the waiting room.
• Primary outcomes included child influenza vaccine receipt on the day of visit and by season end, analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Intervention groups showed increased odds of child influenza vaccine receipt by season end compared to usual care (74.9% vs 65.4%).
• The national data handout group had higher odds of vaccine receipt on the day of the clinic visit (59.0% vs 52.6%).
• No significant difference in vaccine receipt was observed on the day of the visit for the intervention group overall, nor by season end for the national data group specifically.

Conclusions:

• Waiting room educational interventions before pediatric visits can enhance child influenza vaccine uptake.
• Tailoring educational content, potentially using national data, may influence immediate vaccination decisions.
• Further research can optimize educational strategies to maximize influenza vaccination coverage in children.