Practices and barriers associated with administration of influenza (flu) vaccination among the general population of UAE.

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the practices of the general population in the United Arab Emirates population toward influenza vaccinations.

Materials and methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was used to conduct this study. A self-developed and prevalidated questionnaire was distributed online through social media channels such as Facebook and WhatsApp to the public from different emirates in the UAE. The males and females above 18 years old were invited to participate in our study.

Results: A total of 265 participants responded to the survey, 142 (53.6%) males and 123 (46.4%) females. Most of the respondents had insurance coverage (n = 208; 78.5%) and (83.4%) were nonsmokers. The most common reasons behind getting the vaccine were the recommendation by the doctor (29%, n = 57), followed by protection from illness (20%, n = 39) and the recommendation by family or friends (17%, n = 33). The most common reason behind not getting the influenza vaccine was the fear of injection (14.4%, n = 23), followed by other reasons with nearly the same percentage, such as avoiding medications (13.1%) and forgot to get vaccinated (12.5%, n = 20), and some of them think that flu is a simple vaccine and there is no need for a vaccine (12.5%, n = 20).

Conclusion: The study found that suboptimal practices were common within the study population. It also found that a higher proportion of females, compared to males, were unwilling to continue with vaccination.