Seasonal influenza vaccine coverage and risk factors among teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: To explore and evaluate the socio-demographic risk factors’ impact on the seasonal influenza vaccinated among the teenagers in USA. Methods: The 2020 National Immunization Survey on Teenagers were used to examine the coverage of the seasonal influenza and identify the potential risk factors. A total of 19,184 teenagers less than 18 years of age were included. The states were categorized into three groups according to rurality rate of 2010 with the cut-off points of 20% and 40%. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine independent risk factors for the vaccine coverage adjusting for age, census region, poverty level, education level of the mother, marital status of the mother, race, and ethic. Results: The overall seasonal influenza coverage is 57.4%. Compared with non-Hispanic white teenagers, the non-Hispanic black teenagers are less likely to get the flu. vaccine (OR=0.87, 95%CI 0.78-0.97), while Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic others were more likely to get the flu vaccine (OR= 1.25, 95%CI 1.15-1.37; OR =1.14, 95%CI 1.04-1.25). Teenagers from higher rurality states were significantly less likely to get the flu vaccine (OR=0.75, 95% CI 0.69-0.81) compared to their counterparts form less rural states. Teenagers living in the Northeast region were more likely to get the flu vaccine compared to those from the Southern region (OR=1.79, 95%CI 1.64-1.99). Conclusion: African American teenagers from high rurality states in the Southern region are less likely to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine.