Predictors of Vaccination Rates During a Mass Meningococcal Vaccination Program on a College Campus

Abstract

Factors contributing to students' compliance with mass vaccination programs during meningococcal outbreaks have not been well described. A 1997 mass vaccination campaign at Michigan State University provided an opportunity to study such factors. Of 34 024 students in the target population, 17 538 (51.5%) were vaccinated in 5 days. Vaccination rates were higher for women (47.9%) than for men (43.1 %) and higher for on-campus residents (65.3%) than for off-campus residents (35.6%). For each year of students' age beyond 19, the adjusted odds of vaccination were reduced by 0.82. Adjusted odds ratios for vaccination, with White students as the reference group at 1.0, were 1.33 for Asian American students, 0.97 (not significant) for Hispanic students, 0.82 for African American students, and 0.80 for Native American students. Students from the Colleges of Business, Engineering, Communication, and Natural Science had the highest vaccination rates; those from the College of Arts and Letters had the lowest rates.

Key Words:

• invasive meningococcal disease
• meningitis
• Neisseria meningitidis
• vaccination

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nigel Paneth

Nigel Paneth and Eric J. Kort are with the Department of Epidemiology at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing; Dr Paneth is also with the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development. Daniel A. Havlichek, Jr, is with the Departments of Medicine and of Microbiology at MSU. Kathi Braunlich, Glynda Moorer, and Doreen Vanderjagt are all with the Olin Student Health Center. Dennis Jurczak and Pam Leiby at the time of this study. Dean Sienko is with the Ingham County Health Department. Cynthia Gibbons is with the MSU College of Nursing.