Assessing the determinants of influenza and COVID-19 vaccine co-administration decisions in the elderly

ABSTRACT

This research examines the low rate of co-administration of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines among seniors aged 65 and older in Korea, despite recommendations from authorities and academia worldwide. The study aimed to understand the influence of general characteristics and health beliefs on the vaccination choices of seniors, who were categorized into four groups based on their vaccination status: influenza only, COVID-19 only, both, or neither. A total of 400 participants, aged 65 and above, were selected through proportional stratified random sampling from five major Korean regions for a survey conducted between November 24th and December 15th, 2023. The results indicated no significant differences in general characteristics across these groups. However, regarding the health beliefs showed significant differences in perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy between the influenza-only and co-administration groups. Higher levels of perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy were associated with choosing co-administration. Contrary to previous studies focusing on safety concerns as a primary factor in vaccine hesitancy, this study highlights the role of individual health-related beliefs, particularly perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy, as critical in influencing the decision for co-administration among the elderly in Korea.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-administration
• vaccines
• COVID-19
• influenza
• elderly

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our deep gratitude to all the participants who took part in the survey for this study. Additionally, during the preparation of this work the authors used AI-assisted tool in order to grammar check and language improvement. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, SLK and HJ; methodology, SLK, SYK and SHB; validation, SLK, HML and HJ; formal analysis, SLK, MSL, SHB and HJ; writing – original draft preparation, SLK, SYK and HJ; writing – review and editing, SLK, SYK, MS, HML, SHB, MSL and HJ; supervision, SLK; project administration, SLK; funding acquisition, MSL and SHB. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

The data are available upon request. All requests were addressed by the corresponding author.

Ethical considerations

The research adhered to ethical protocols, having been exempted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Youngsan University (YSUIRB-202311-HR-141-02). In line with ethical practices, informed consent was procured from all participants by the survey practitioners. This process involved clearly explaining the study’s aims, procedures, and the voluntary basis of participation, while guaranteeing confidentiality and anonymity for all respondents.

Additional information

Funding

This study received financial support from the National Immunization Program, which is administered by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This study also received a research grant from Youngsan University.