Vaccination coverage among adolescent athletes: Patterns, gaps, and implications for sports medicine

Physical activity is fundamental for health. However, it could expose even young and healthy individuals to infections which can be prevented through vaccinations. We aimed to evaluate the vaccination status in a population of adolescent athletes, to identify possible sex-related differences, and the role of comorbidities on the immunization of athletes. We applied a questionnaire-based survey, carried out among competitive adolescent athletes undergoing medical checkups. The coverage rate is over 98% for MMR vaccination, 13.4% for influenza vaccination, and 8.7% for Men B vaccination. Age was significantly associated with dTapIP, MenACWY, and HPV vaccination (p < .001). Participation in water sports was characterized by significantly lower odds of MenACWY vaccination: OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.9, p = .02. No sex differences resulted and adolescent athletes with any comorbidity have higher odds for receiving influenza vaccination (p < .05). Our study reveals that among adolescent athletes, vaccination coverage rate was the highest for MMR and the lowest for Men B at about 8.7%. While no significant sex-based differences were observed across different vaccines types, athletes participating in water sports presented lower odds for receiving MenACWY vaccination. Nearly one-fifth of athletes reported comorbidities, with these individuals showing significantly higher influenza vaccination rates.