More Resources Must Be Focused on Understanding Why Many Americans Avoid Flu Vaccine
November 24, 2010

More research is needed to improve understanding of Americans' reluctance to be vaccinated against the flu to better prepare the nation for a future pandemic flu outbreak, according to researchers from the RAND Corporation.

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Despite an unprecedented public education campaign, only about 20 percent of U.S. adults were vaccinated against pandemic influenza. Most striking, researchers say, less than half of health care workers were vaccinated against H1N1, despite the fact they could inadvertently pass the infection to medically vulnerable patients.

Speeding shipments of pandemic flu vaccine would help in the future, but researchers say the evidence suggests that many people still would not become vaccinated.

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The science that would clarify the best ways to inform and motivate the public is severely underdeveloped, according to researchers. About 95 percent of the public funding on influenza has been devoted to biomedical topics rather than to social and behavioral science.
RAND researchers say more resources should be channeled into understanding and improving the public's view of flu vaccines before the ongoing biomedical advanceds can be translated into effective action.

[link to www.rand.org]