College students’ influenza vaccination adoption: Self-reported barriers and facilitators

Abstract

Objective

Influenza attack rates among college students are high. However, little is known about the determinants of students’ flu vaccine adoption from their own perspectives. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate barriers and facilitators to college students’ flu vaccine adoption.

Methods

A total of 545 students offered complete answers to an online survey. Thematic analysis was used for analyzing open-ended questions.

Results

Students’ flu vaccine adoption was hindered by their fear associated with the flu vaccine, lack of pertinent knowledge, perceived lack of necessity, negative social influence, and time constraints and convenience concerns. Students were motivated to adopt the flu vaccine for their interest in self-care, positive experience with the flu vaccine adoption, good flu vaccine habits, and recommendations from trusted sources.

Conclusions

Understanding determinants of students’ flu vaccine adoption provides the first step in developing tailored health interventions that may increase students’ flu vaccine adoption rates.

Keywords:

• Barriers and facilitators
• college students
• flu vaccine
• thematic analysis
• vaccine adoption

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the University of Texas at Austin.

Additional information

Funding

Dr. Chen is supported by a postdoctoral fellowship award funded by the University of Michigan's Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program in Community Living and Participation from the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Administration for Community Living (grant # 90ARCP0003)