Correlation between Community-based Volunteers' Involvement in Diseases Prevention and Coverage Rate of Influenza Vaccination

Hsing-Yu Liu, Mei-Hui Lin, Shu-Mei Chou, Chin-Huei Yang

2013 Vol.29 NO.20

Correspondence Author： Hsing-Yu Liu

Abstract：

       Recruiting community-based volunteer to participate and assist in community diseases prevention was one strategy of the National Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan – Phase II. Since 1997, Centers for Disease Control in Taiwan (Taiwan CDC) has granted local health bureaus to organize, integrate and assign community-based volunteers to assist education in epidemic prevention and control measures for infectious diseases. In 2011, local health bureaus started to involve the volunteers in flu vaccination propaganda. This study aimed at the correlation between community-based epidemic preventive volunteers’ assistance in influenza vaccination and its coverage rate on target population. We analyzed the person-time data of community-based volunteers’ involvement in influenza vaccination offered by local health bureaus, as well as the coverage rate of influenza vaccination on target population in 2010 and 2011. The results showed a significant correlation between the rising coverage rates of influenza vaccination on the elderly over 65 years of age and the person-time ratio of volunteers’ service, while the coverage rates of influenza vaccination on children under six years old and the person-time ratio of volunteers’ service were not related. This study revealed the effectiveness of volunteers’ involvement in enhancing the influenza vaccination rate, but only for elderly population over 65 years of age. It is suggested that might due to the policy of aging-in-place, and the age of community-based epidemic preventive volunteers. As for influenza vaccination of children under six years of age, it is recommended to identify and analyze the main factors affecting immunization rates in this group, so that we can figure out the way that epidemic preventive volunteers can involve in achieving the goal of improving vaccination rates.