Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study
Vaccines are important for older adults, and the morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases among older adults are high. There are limited data on vaccination coverage among elderly people in Greece. The aim of this observational study was to record the vaccination coverage for vaccines...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2020-01-01
|
| Series: | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5459793 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832547034095157248 |
|---|---|
| author | Dimitrios Papagiannis Georgios Rachiotis Anargiros Mariolis Efterpi Zafiriou Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis |
| author_facet | Dimitrios Papagiannis Georgios Rachiotis Anargiros Mariolis Efterpi Zafiriou Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis |
| author_sort | Dimitrios Papagiannis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vaccines are important for older adults, and the morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases among older adults are high. There are limited data on vaccination coverage among elderly people in Greece. The aim of this observational study was to record the vaccination coverage for vaccines recommended by the National Vaccination Program in Greece for the elderly people ≥60 years old. Two hundred general practitioners (GPs) around the country from the primary healthcare system were invited to “participate,” and one hundred fifty from them participated in the present study. The GPs were selected using geographically stratified random sampling methodology. Two thousand and seventy-two participants participated in the present study: of which, 1043 were males and 1029 were females. The mean age of the participants was 73.3 years, and 83% vaccination coverage for flu vaccine, 49.5% for conjugate pneumococcal vaccine, and 23.5% for polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine were recorded. In addition, the vaccination coverage for herpes zoster vaccine was 20%, while very low percentages were recorded for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio vaccine for adults. We found significant gaps in vaccination coverage, especially with regard to pneumococcal, herpes zoster, and tetanus. On the contrary, influenza vaccination coverage was satisfactory. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b3ba6fa447d54abc9f21552f9941c028 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1712-9532 1918-1493 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b3ba6fa447d54abc9f21552f9941c0282025-02-03T06:46:18ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology1712-95321918-14932020-01-01202010.1155/2020/54597935459793Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide StudyDimitrios Papagiannis0Georgios Rachiotis1Anargiros Mariolis2Efterpi Zafiriou3Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis4Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, GreeceDepartment of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Health Science, Medical Faculty, University of Thessaly, Larissa, GreeceNational Health System, Areopolis Health Center, Areopoli, GreeceDepartment of Dermatology, School of Health Sciences, Medical Faculty, University of Thessaly, Larissa, GreeceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Medical Faculty, University of Thessaly, Larissa, GreeceVaccines are important for older adults, and the morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases among older adults are high. There are limited data on vaccination coverage among elderly people in Greece. The aim of this observational study was to record the vaccination coverage for vaccines recommended by the National Vaccination Program in Greece for the elderly people ≥60 years old. Two hundred general practitioners (GPs) around the country from the primary healthcare system were invited to “participate,” and one hundred fifty from them participated in the present study. The GPs were selected using geographically stratified random sampling methodology. Two thousand and seventy-two participants participated in the present study: of which, 1043 were males and 1029 were females. The mean age of the participants was 73.3 years, and 83% vaccination coverage for flu vaccine, 49.5% for conjugate pneumococcal vaccine, and 23.5% for polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine were recorded. In addition, the vaccination coverage for herpes zoster vaccine was 20%, while very low percentages were recorded for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio vaccine for adults. We found significant gaps in vaccination coverage, especially with regard to pneumococcal, herpes zoster, and tetanus. On the contrary, influenza vaccination coverage was satisfactory.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5459793 |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrios Papagiannis Georgios Rachiotis Anargiros Mariolis Efterpi Zafiriou Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| title | Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study |
| title_full | Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study |
| title_fullStr | Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study |
| title_short | Vaccination Coverage of the Elderly in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study |
| title_sort | vaccination coverage of the elderly in greece a cross sectional nationwide study |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5459793 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dimitriospapagiannis vaccinationcoverageoftheelderlyingreeceacrosssectionalnationwidestudy AT georgiosrachiotis vaccinationcoverageoftheelderlyingreeceacrosssectionalnationwidestudy AT anargirosmariolis vaccinationcoverageoftheelderlyingreeceacrosssectionalnationwidestudy AT efterpizafiriou vaccinationcoverageoftheelderlyingreeceacrosssectionalnationwidestudy AT konstantinosigourgoulianis vaccinationcoverageoftheelderlyingreeceacrosssectionalnationwidestudy |