Knowledge and attitudes about influenza vaccination in rheumatic diseases patients

Figures & data

Table 1. General characteristics

	Total, N = 196	Community, N = 95	Clinic, N = 101	P
Age, years, median (IQR)	51 (39–61.75)	55 (46–62)	45 (30–59)	0.001
18–34 years, n (%)	40 (20.4)	10 (10.5)	30 (29.7)	0.001
35–44 years, n (%)	38 (19.4)	15 (15.8)	23 (22.8)	0.216
45–54 years, n (%)	37 (18.9)	20 (21.1)	17 (16.8)	0.443
55–64 years, n (%)	45 (23.0)	31 (32.6)	14 (13.9)	0.002
≥65 years, n (%)	36 (18.4)	19 (20.0)	17 (16.8)	0.564
Diagnosis, n (%)
Rheumatoid arthritis	127 (64.8)	67 (70.5)	60 (59.4)	0.104
Osteoarthritis	21 (10.7)	14 (14.7)	7 (6.9)	0.078
Systemic lupus erythematosus	15 (7.7)	3 (3.2)	12 (11.9)	0.022
Other AID*	23 (11.7)	8 (8.4)	15 (14.8)	0.164
Other non-AID**	10 (5.1)	3 (3.1)	7 (6.9)	0.226

IQR, interquartile range; AID, autoimmune disease.

*Including 5 Undifferentiated arthritis, 5 Rhupus syndrome, 2 adult-onset Still disease, 2 ankylosing spondylitis, 1 juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 1 dermatomyositis, 1 mixed connective tissue disease, 1 Raynaud’s syndrome, 1 primary antiphospholipid syndrome, 1 Sjögren syndrome, 1 systemic sclerosis, 1 anti-synthetase syndrome, and 1 ANCA-associated vasculitis.

**Including 5 fibromyalgia and 5 soft-tissue diseases.

Table 2. Questions and answers about influenza vaccination in rheumatic patients

Question	Answer	Total, N = 223	Community, N = 122	Clinic, N = 101	P
Influenza vaccine uptake and cost awareness
Q2. Have you ever been vaccinated for influenza? n (%)	Yes	178 (79.8)	97 (79.5)	81 (80.2)	0.898
	No	45 (20.2)	25 (20.5)	20 (19.8)
Q7. Do you know that the influenza vaccine is freely provided? n (%)	Yes	208 (93.3)	115 (94.3)	93 (92.1)	0.517
	No	15 (6.7)	7 (5.7)	8 (7.9)
Safety and efficacy of influenza vaccination
Q3. Influenza vaccine is safe and effective: n (%)	Yes	187 (83.9)	107 (87.7)	80 (79.2)	0.086
	No	36 (16.1)	15 (12.3)	21 (20.8)
Q4. The best way to avoid complications of influenza is by using the influenza vaccine: n (%)	Yes	191 (85.7)	104 (85.2)	87 (86.1)	0.850
	No	32 (14.3)	18 (14.8)	14 (13.9)
Q5. It is safe to be vaccinated for influenza and other vaccines at the same time: n (%)	Yes	136 (61.0)	73 (59.8)	63 (62.4)	0.699
	No	87 (39.0)	49 (40.2)	38 (37.6)
Q6. Influenza vaccine weakens the immune system and makes me susceptible to other infections: n (%)	Yes	79 (35.4)	29 (23.8)	50 (49.5)	<0.001
	No	144 (64.6)	93 (76.2)	51 (50.5)
Q8. Herbal medications, traditional medicine, and some food (like orange) are better than the influenza vaccine: n (%)	Yes	69 (30.9)	28 (23.0)	41 (40.6)	0.005
	No	154 (69.1)	94 (77.0)	60 (59.4)
Q9. Influenza vaccine instead of helping me will get me worse: n (%)	Yes	54 (24.2)	21 (17.2)	33 (32.7)	0.007
	No	169 (75.8)	101 (82.8)	68 (67.3)
Influenza vaccination and its relationship with rheumatic diseases
Q1. Can rheumatic diseases patients be vaccinated? n (%)	Yes	206 (92.4)	114 (93.4)	92 (91.1)	0.510
	No	17 (7.6)	8 (6.6)	9 (8.9)
Q10. Influenza vaccine will worse my rheumatic disease: n (%)	Yes	26 (11.7)	11 (9.0)	15 (14.9)	0.177
	No	197 (88.3)	111 (91.0)	86 (85.1)

Table 3. Previous vaccination, cost awareness, and relationship with rheumatic diseases

Question	Answer	Previous vaccination		P
		Yes (N = 178)	No (N = 45)
Q7. Do you know that the influenza vaccine is freely provided? n (%)	Yes	171 (96.1)	37 (82.2)	0.001
	No	7 (3.9)	8 (17.8)
Q1. Can rheumatic diseases patients be vaccinated? n (%)	Yes	164 (92.1)	42 (93.3)	0.787
	No	14 (7.9)	3 (6.7)
Q10. Influenza vaccine will worse my rheumatic disease: n (%)	Yes	17 (9.6)	9 (20.0)	0.051
	No	161 (90.4)	36 (80.0)

Table 4. Influenza vaccine uptake and safety and efficacy concerns

Question	Answer	Previous vaccination		P
		Yes (N = 178)	No (N = 45)
Q3. Influenza vaccine is safe and effective: n (%)	Yes	154 (86.5)	33 (73.3)	0.032
	No	24 (13.5)	12 (26.7)
Q4. The best way to avoid complications of influenza is by using the influenza vaccine: n (%)	Yes	157 (88.2)	34 (75.6)	0.031
	No	21 (11.8)	11 (24.4)
Q5. It is safe to be vaccinated for influenza and other vaccines at the same time: n (%)	Yes	114 (64.0)	22 (48.9)	0.063
	No	64 (36.0)	23 (51.1)
Q6. Influenza vaccine weakens the immune system and makes me susceptible to other infections: n (%)	Yes	60 (33.7)	19 (42.2)	0.286
	No	118 (66.3)	26 (57.8)
Q8. Herbal medications, traditional medicine, and some food (like orange) are better than the influenza vaccine: n (%)	Yes	55 (30.9)	14 (31.1)	0.978
	No	123 (69.1)	31 (68.9)
Q9. Influenza vaccine instead of helping me will get me worse: n (%)	Yes	39 (21.9)	15 (33.3)	0.110
	No	139 (78.1)	30 (66.7)