Association Between Influenza Vaccination and All-cause Mortality Among the Elderly With Disability in Taiwan - A Population-based Study

Authors

Ho-Jui Tung, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public HealthFollow
Ming-Chin Yeh, CUNY Hunter CollegeFollow

Document Type

Conference Abstract

Publication Date

11-3-2019

Publication Title

APHA Annual Meeting and Expo 2019 Abstracts

Abstract

Influenza immunization is one of the most cost-effective preventive services for older adults. Elderly people with disability have a shorter life expectancy, when compared to the general populations with the same age. This study aims to assess the association between influenza vaccination and follow-up mortality among the elderly with disability in Taiwan.

By linking the National Disability Registration System and the National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database, a total of 394,511 people with disabilities aged 65 years or older in Taiwan were identified in 2014. Influenza vaccination records were derived from the NHI claims data between October 1 and December 31, 2014, when seasonal influenza vaccines were available for free to people aged 65 years or older in Taiwan. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare the vaccinated to the unvaccinated on their survival status measured between January and March in 2015.

About one-third (34.6%) of the elderly people with disabilities had received influenza vaccination in 2014. After adjusting for potential confounders, the vaccinated had significantly lower all-cause mortality (relative risk [RR]: .65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: .62-.67), when compared to the unvaccinated over the study period. Moreover, when stratified by their level of disability, the RR of mortality for participants with mild, moderate, severe, and very severe disability were .67, .66, .64, .62 (p<.001), respectively.

Findings suggested that influenza vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality among older disabled Taiwanese. The protective effect of influenza vaccination was more pronounced among the elders with more severe disability.

Comments

2019 © American Public Health Association

Recommended Citation

Tung, Ho-Jui, Ming-Chin Yeh. 2019. "Association Between Influenza Vaccination and All-cause Mortality Among the Elderly With Disability in Taiwan - A Population-based Study." APHA Annual Meeting and Expo 2019 Abstracts: American Public Health Association. source: https://apha.confex.com/apha/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/445058
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/hpmb-facpubs/164