School-based interventions to increase influenza vaccination in primary school students

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Low influenza vaccination coverage in primary school students poses a risk for outbreaks.
• School-based interventions are crucial for improving public health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based interventions in increasing influenza vaccination rates among primary school students in Guizhou, China.
• To compare the impact of informational materials versus on-campus vaccination services.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 9437 primary school students across four schools in Guizhou, China.
• Interventions included informational materials, on-campus influenza vaccination services (SIV), or a combination.
• Vaccination status was tracked from December 2023 to April 2024.

Main Results:

• Vaccination rates significantly increased in intervention groups compared to the control (1.11%).
• On-campus SIV (13.99%) and combined interventions (12.96%) showed the highest vaccination rates.
• Prior vaccination history increased likelihood; older students and some ethnic minorities had lower rates.

Conclusions:

• School-based interventions, especially on-campus vaccination services, are effective in boosting influenza vaccination coverage in primary school students.
• Targeted strategies may be needed for specific student groups with lower vaccination uptake.