An Analysis of Factors that Influence Student Perceptions of Flu Shot Effectiveness
Date
2019
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Department of Public Health and the Department of Biology, College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa
Abstract
Student influenza vaccine uptake on campus is significantly below
national goals set by Healthy People 2020 and the American College
Health Association. Students commonly view the flu vaccine as
ineffective due to personal knowledge and experiences from the
vaccine and the virus. This study expands the literature by examining
the association of sociodemographic factors (culture, race/ethnicity,
gender, and religion), beliefs, and behavior on a student’s perception
of flu shot effectiveness. A total of 33 college students completed
a twenty-item survey. Fisher’s exact analyses were conducted and
general trends were analyzed. The Fisher’s exact tests yielded
no significant results for most items except for the belief that
race/ethnicity has an effect on their perception (p=.003) and whether
or not the student believes they can contract the flu from the vaccine
(p=.029). Trend results suggested a connection between personal
knowledge, past experiences, and culture on student perceptions of
flu shot effectiveness. These results show that public health strategies
to increase flu vaccine uptake should consider broader factors when
targeting predisposing and enabling factors that shape student health
behaviors surrounding flu prevention uptake.
Description
Recommended Citation: Stadler, Caroline. “An Analysis of Factors That Influence Student Perceptions of Flu Shot Effectiveness.” Acta Spartae, 2019. https://doi.org/10.48497/21TE-2K46.
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Keywords
Influenza, Research Subject Categories::MEDICINE::Social medicine::Public health medicine research areas::Public health science, Vaccines
Citation
Stadler, Caroline. “An Analysis of Factors That Influence Student Perceptions of Flu Shot Effectiveness.” Acta Spartae, 2019. https://doi.org/10.48497/21TE-2K46.