Most 17-year-olds not up to date on three recommended vaccinations
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Approximately 70% of U.S. adolescents are not up to date on routine vaccinations for HPV, meningococcal disease and tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis by the age of 17 years, according to data presented at IDWeek.
Children who have not completed these series “are potentially at increased risk for vaccine-preventable diseases,” Sara Poston, PharmD, head of U.S. health outcomes research and vaccines at GlaxoSmithKline, told Healio.
Poston and colleagues used pooled data from the National Immunization Survey to estimate the percentage of adolescents who completed a two- or three-dose HPV series, a two-dose quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) series and a Tdap vaccine by age 17.
Nationally, the completion rate for the three vaccines was 30.6% (95% CI, 30.1%-31%). State-level rates ranged from 11.3% (95% CI, 6.9%-18%) in Idaho to 56.4% (95% CI, 49.8%-62.8%) in Rhode Island.
“Completion rates varied by state, even after adjusting for individual demographics and attributes, suggesting that state- and/or local-level characteristics or policies may be influencing the uptake of adolescent vaccines,” Poston said.
Some states have MenACWY vaccination mandates for elementary and secondary schools, which was the only state-level variable that significantly increased the completion rate (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3), the researchers reported.
Modeling revealed individual characteristics linked to an increased likelihood of receiving the three vaccinations, including female gender, being either Black or Hispanic, Medicaid coverage compared with private insurance, last provider visit at the age of 16 or 17 years, having one or more provider visits in the last year, and receiving a recommendation from a provider for an HPV vaccination.
“We found that having a provider visit at age 16 or 17 and receiving a provider recommendation for HPV vaccination increased the likelihood that teens received HPV, Tdap and MenACWY vaccines,” Poston said. “Previous patient surveys show that provider recommendations are the most influential factor in a patient’s vaccination decision, and our study supports their importance.”
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Poston S, et al. Abstract 179. Presented at: IDWeek; Oct. 21-25 (virtual meeting).
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