Factors of influenza vaccine inoculation and non-inoculation behavior of community-dwelling residents in Japan: Suggestions for vaccine policy and public health ethics after COVID-19

Mayuko T Komada; Jung Su Lee; Etsuko Watanabe; Eisuke Nakazawa; Katsumi Mori; Akira Akabayashi

doi:10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100245

Factors of influenza vaccine inoculation and non-inoculation behavior of community-dwelling residents in Japan: Suggestions for vaccine policy and public health ethics after COVID-19

Vaccine X. 2023 Apr:13:100245. doi: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100245. Epub 2022 Dec 13.

Authors

Mayuko T Komada¹, Jung Su Lee², Etsuko Watanabe², Eisuke Nakazawa³, Katsumi Mori³, Akira Akabayashi^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Nursing, Higashigaoka Faculty of Nursing, Tokyo Healthcare University, 2-5-1, Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8558, Japan.
² Postgraduate School of Healthcare, Tokyo Healthcare University 4-1-17 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8648, Japan.
³ Department of Biomedical Ethics, University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
⁴ Division of Medical Ethics, New York University School of Medicine, 227 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide basic information that contributes to vaccine inoculation policy after COVID-19. We used the secondary data of the influenza vaccine inoculation behavior survey for community-dwelling adults conducted in 2011, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but after the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) pdm 09 pandemic. All factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, family environment, physical and social environment, and area of residence were adjusted, and factors related to vaccine inoculation behavior were analyzed. Those living with pregnant women had a significantly higher odds ratio of inoculation; this was self-evident in that those people considered infection to their family. Regarding the social environment, those aged 20-64 years with a significantly higher adjusted odds ratio of inoculation were those with "at least five people with which they interacted in the neighborhood". This result can be interpreted in two ways relating to altruism in Japan. Finally, we indicated the importance of learning from the past, including the case of 2009.

Keywords: 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) pdm 09; COVID-19; Japan; Pandemic; Vaccination policy.