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Vaccine
. 2025 Jul 10:61:127265.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127265. Online ahead of print. What may influence older Europeans' decision about the seasonal influenza vaccine? A literature review of socio-cultural and psycho-social factors related to seasonal influenza vaccination uptake
Idalina Odziemczyk-Stawarz 1 , Jolanta Perek-Białas 2
Affiliations
Background: Vaccines against communicable diseases are considered the most effective tool for infectious disease control and eradication. Their use is especially recommended for the population at the highest risk of severe diseases and death, like older adults. Despite that, influenza vaccine coverage rates in the 65+ population in most European countries remain below the recommended level.
Goal: This review aims to identify studies exploring socio-cultural and psycho-social factors related to how older adults in the European region motivate their vaccination uptake or justify their decisions regarding this vaccine. These factors are considered in relation to the groups of vaccinated people, non-vaccinated people or both, or without distinction according to the vaccination status of the study participants. The goal is to define the scope of the analysed factors, not to indicate which factors were positively or negatively associated with influenza vaccination.
Methods: In March 2024, a comprehensive search strategy was used across the Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, and APA PsycInfo electronic databases for original, peer-reviewed empirical research with full text in English available published between 2000 and the search date. Based on the keywords, 4590 papers were identified for review. 3397 papers were included in the screening by title and abstract, 117 were identified as relevant for full-text review, and 22 were included after the full-text review. After the references revision and searching for articles citing or related to the included articles, 18 papers were added, and we include the 40 papers in the final synthesis.
Results: The findings show that the summarised studies focus mainly on vaccination effectiveness, vaccine side effects, and vaccination recommendations from health professionals. Other contextual factors, i.e. beliefs and perceptions about health and immunity, as well as experiences with influenza or vaccination against flu, are analysed much less frequently.
Keywords: Attitude; Decision-making; Determinants; Europe; Flu vaccination; Older adults.
. 2025 Jul 10:61:127265.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127265. Online ahead of print. What may influence older Europeans' decision about the seasonal influenza vaccine? A literature review of socio-cultural and psycho-social factors related to seasonal influenza vaccination uptake
Idalina Odziemczyk-Stawarz 1 , Jolanta Perek-Białas 2
Affiliations
- PMID: 40644952
- DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127265
Background: Vaccines against communicable diseases are considered the most effective tool for infectious disease control and eradication. Their use is especially recommended for the population at the highest risk of severe diseases and death, like older adults. Despite that, influenza vaccine coverage rates in the 65+ population in most European countries remain below the recommended level.
Goal: This review aims to identify studies exploring socio-cultural and psycho-social factors related to how older adults in the European region motivate their vaccination uptake or justify their decisions regarding this vaccine. These factors are considered in relation to the groups of vaccinated people, non-vaccinated people or both, or without distinction according to the vaccination status of the study participants. The goal is to define the scope of the analysed factors, not to indicate which factors were positively or negatively associated with influenza vaccination.
Methods: In March 2024, a comprehensive search strategy was used across the Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, and APA PsycInfo electronic databases for original, peer-reviewed empirical research with full text in English available published between 2000 and the search date. Based on the keywords, 4590 papers were identified for review. 3397 papers were included in the screening by title and abstract, 117 were identified as relevant for full-text review, and 22 were included after the full-text review. After the references revision and searching for articles citing or related to the included articles, 18 papers were added, and we include the 40 papers in the final synthesis.
Results: The findings show that the summarised studies focus mainly on vaccination effectiveness, vaccine side effects, and vaccination recommendations from health professionals. Other contextual factors, i.e. beliefs and perceptions about health and immunity, as well as experiences with influenza or vaccination against flu, are analysed much less frequently.
Keywords: Attitude; Decision-making; Determinants; Europe; Flu vaccination; Older adults.