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ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to assess factors influencing 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination among a demographically diverse group of day care-aged children. Day care children were chosen because they were an initial target group for vaccination and are at higher risk of influenza infection than children cared for at home.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2010 among parents of day care aged children in 13 day care facilities in Miami-Dade County. Data was collected by an anonymous self-administered two-page 20 question survey which consisted of demographic variables and information regarding 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine knowledge, attitude and acceptance. Data was analyzed using SAS to conduct both bivariate and multivariate analyses.
There were 773 participants in the study. The response rate ranged from 42% to 72.2% among day care centers. A total of 172 parents (22.3%) and 225 (29.1%) children had received the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. Non-Hispanic White and Black parents were more likely to vaccinate their children than Hispanic and Haitian parents. Primary reasons for non-vaccination included vaccine safety (36.7%) and side effects (27.1%). Among parents who spoke with a health care professional, 274 (61.4%) stated the health care professional recommended the vaccine.
Misperceptions about influenza vaccination among parents created a barrier to 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination. Parents who got the vaccine, who believed the vaccine was safe and whose children had a chronic condition were more likely to immunize their children. Clear, reliable and consistent vaccine information to the public and health care providers and initiatives targeting minority groups may increase vaccination coverage among this population.
Vaccine 04/2012; 30(27):4002-6. · 3.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To evaluate the usefulness of school absentee data in identifying outbreaks as part of syndromic surveillance, we examined data collected from public schools in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. An innovative automated alert system captured information about school-specific absenteeism to detect and provide real-time notification of possible outbreaks of influenza-like illness.
Emerging Infectious Diseases 02/2011; 17(2):262-4. · 6.79 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The study aimed to determine if there was a difference in prenatal care utilization and birth outcomes among demographically similar women who used or did not use a mobile van for prenatal care. Mothers who utilized the mobile van at least one time for their prenatal care and delivered between August 2007 through September 2008 were considered the Mobile group (n = 182) and a Comparison group of the same size who delivered within the same time period was randomly matched by sociodemographic characteristics. Birth data was obtained from Florida Department of Health Office of Vital Statistics and from the mobile clinic's Health Management System (HMS) database. Nearly 95% of mothers in both groups were foreign born, with the majority from Mexico. The evaluation of prenatal care showed that there was a significant difference (P = 0.0006) in the trimester in which mothers began care. Both the Kessner (P = 0.0003) and Kotelchuck (<0.0001) Indices demonstrated a statistically significant difference in that more mothers in the Mobile group had adequate care. Birth weight distribution did not reveal a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0911) however the Mobile group did have a lower percentage of low birth weight infants (4.4% vs. 8.8%). There was a statistically significant difference in the amount of pre-term births (P = 0.0492) between the groups. The results suggest that a mobile van can be used to improve both early access to adequate prenatal care as well as birth outcomes such as prematurity.
Maternal and Child Health Journal 09/2009; 14(4):528-34. · 2.24 Impact Factor
