Trends in influenza vaccination uptake among people aged over 74 years, 1997–2000: Survey of 73 general practices in Britain

Vaccination information for 1997–2000 was collected directly from general practices taking part in a MRC-funded Trial of the Assessment and Management of Older People in the Community. This was linked to information collected during assessments carried out as part of the Trial. Regression modelling was used to assess relative probabilities (as relative risks, RR) of having vaccination according to year, gender, age, area and individual socioeconomic characteristics.Out of 106 potential practices, 73 provided sufficient information to be included in the analysis. Uptake was 48% (95% CI 45%, 55%) in 1997 and did not increase substantially until 2000 when the uptake was a third higher at 63% (50%, 66%). Vaccination uptake was lower among women than men (RR 0.9), people aged 85 or more compared to people aged under 80 (RR 0.9), those in the most deprived areas (RR 0.8) compared to the least deprived, and was relatively high for those in owner-occupied homes with central heating compared to other non-supported housing (RR for remainder = 0.9). This pattern did not change over the years studied.Increased uptake in 2000 may have resulted from the additional financial resources given to practices; it was not at the expense of more disadvantaged socioeconomic groups but nor did they benefit disproportionately.Influenza can have a dramatic impact on morbidity and mortality. Routine influenza vaccination is protective against illness [1], acute respiratory hospitalisations and deaths [2]. The Department of Health recommended routine administration of the influenza vaccine to all aged over 74 years in 1998 and in 2000 extended this to all aged over 64 years while adding an item-of-service payment [3]. The GPs were allocated extra funds for the purposes of identifying and communicating individually with those eligible, monitoring progress of the vaccination campaign, and helping practices with insufficient staff. Financial incentives for interventions have been proposed as a fac