Influenza Vaccine Uptake among Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Multi-center Cross-sectional Study
2Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
3Department of Pediatrics, Comenius University Medical School in Bratislava, National Institute of Children's Diseases, Bratislava, Slovakia
4Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey
5Pediatrics Rheumatology clinic of Dana-Dwek Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
6Department of Allergology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana
Background and Objectives: While most countries provide influenza vaccines, coverage among at-risk groups like those with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) remains uncertain. We assessed the influenza vaccination rate in children with JIA, their caregivers’ perceptions about the vaccine, and identified facilitators that could increase its uptake.
Methods: A multi-center, cross-sectional study was performed across 7 countries. Clinical and demographic data, vaccination uptake, knowledge and perceptions about influenza vaccine were collected via questionnaires. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 287 JIA caregivers were surveyed. Most respondents were employed (72%), married (82.5%) and had tertiary-level education (50.9%). The most common diagnosis was oligoarticular JIA (28.9%). According to national vaccination schedules, 82.2% were fully vaccinated. Last season, a total of 87 children (30.3%) were vaccinated against influenza. Children with systemic onset JIA had the highest vaccine uptake (65.4%). The second highest vaccine uptake was in Israel (41.9%). Caregivers who did not know the child’s diagnosis reported the lowest vaccination rate (12.2%). Children who had previously experienced adverse vaccine-related events also reported low vaccine uptake. The major reason for non-vaccination was unawareness of the need (39.7%).
Conclusion: Influenza vaccine uptake remains low among JIA patients. Informing families, discussing their concerns and organizing campaigns to address their fears and highlight the importance of the influenza vaccine for the JIA population may increase vaccination rates. A new study is underway to evaluate whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected influenza vaccination rates.