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Disparities in immunizations remain among older Hispanics
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Lower influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates persist among older Hispanics when compared with whites. Therefore, researchers recommend increased efforts to improve language and culture barriers to health care in this population, according to findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Data were pooled from a cross-sectional, bilingual survey that included 244,618 community-dwelling respondents aged 65 years and older. Researchers compared data for English- and Spanish-preferring Hispanic beneficiaries with whites.
Compared with a 76% pneumococcal immunization rate for whites, the rates for Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanics were only 40% and 56%, respectively (P<.001). The rates for influenza vaccination were also lower for Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanics vs. whites (64% and 68% vs. 76%, respectively; P<.001 for both).
Patients with managed health care plans consistently had fewer pneumococcal disparities. Influenza disparities were steadily low in areas that were linguistically isolated, as well as areas in the Southeast region of the US. About one-third of overall pneumococcal immunization and about one-half of influenza immunization disparities were associated with differences in sociodemographic characteristics.
Only 18% of Spanish-preferring Hispanics and 51% of English-preferring Hispanics had a high school diploma vs. 83% of whites. In addition, Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanics were four to nine times more likely to be eligible for low-income supplement or Medicaid, according to the researchers.
“Consistent with prior work, we find strong evidence that language preference is an important factor for immunization, with considerably larger disparities for Spanish-preferring than English-preferring Hispanic seniors,” the researchers wrote. “The magnitude of the disparities, the rapid growth and mobility of the Spanish-preferring population, and the fact that immunization saves lives highlight the need for targeted interventions to address these disparities.”
For more information:
- Haviland AM. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171:158-165.
Disclosure: The researchers have no relevant financial disclosures.