tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Front Public Health
. 2023 Aug 3;11:1224175.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1224175. eCollection 2023. Population-level benefits of increasing influenza vaccination uptake among Italian older adults: results from a granular panel model
Alexander Domnich[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Orsi[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Donatella Panatto[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Matilde Ogliastro[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alessandra Barca[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fabrizio Bert[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Danilo Cereda[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Maria Chironna[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Claudio Costantino[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Daniel Fiacchini[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Elena Pariani[SUP] 3 11 [/SUP], Caterina Rizzo[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Enrico Volpe[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Giancarlo Icardi[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP]; FluCoV Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Background: The impact of seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) on mortality is still controversial; some studies have claimed that increasing vaccination coverage rates is beneficial, while others have found no significant association. This study aimed to construct a granular longitudinal dataset of local VCRs and assess their effect on pneumonia- and influenza-related (P&I) mortality among Italian adults aged ≥ 65 years.
Methods: NUTS-3 (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) level data on SIV coverage were collected via a survey of local data holders. Fixed- and random-effects panel regression modeling, when adjusted for potential confounders, was performed to assess the association between local SIV coverage rates and P&I mortality in older adults.
Results: A total of 1,144 local VCRs from 2003 to 2019 were ascertained. In the fully adjusted fixed-effects model, each 1% increase in vaccination coverage was associated (P < 0.001) with a 0.6% (95% CI: 0.3-0.9%) average over-time decrease in P&I mortality. With an annual average of 9,293 P&I deaths in Italy, this model suggested that 56 deaths could have been avoided each year by increasing SIV coverage by 1%. The random-effects model produced similar results. The base-case results were robust in a sensitivity analysis.
Conclusion: Over the last two decades, Italian jurisdictions with higher SIV uptake had, on average, fewer P&I deaths among older adults. Local policy-makers should implement effective strategies to increase SIV coverage in the Italian senior population.
Keywords: Italy; influenza; modeling; older adults; vaccination; vaccine impact.
. 2023 Aug 3;11:1224175.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1224175. eCollection 2023. Population-level benefits of increasing influenza vaccination uptake among Italian older adults: results from a granular panel model
Alexander Domnich[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Orsi[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Donatella Panatto[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Matilde Ogliastro[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alessandra Barca[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fabrizio Bert[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Danilo Cereda[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Maria Chironna[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Claudio Costantino[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Daniel Fiacchini[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Elena Pariani[SUP] 3 11 [/SUP], Caterina Rizzo[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Enrico Volpe[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Giancarlo Icardi[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP]; FluCoV Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 37601177
- PMCID: PMC10435743
- DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1224175
Background: The impact of seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) on mortality is still controversial; some studies have claimed that increasing vaccination coverage rates is beneficial, while others have found no significant association. This study aimed to construct a granular longitudinal dataset of local VCRs and assess their effect on pneumonia- and influenza-related (P&I) mortality among Italian adults aged ≥ 65 years.
Methods: NUTS-3 (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) level data on SIV coverage were collected via a survey of local data holders. Fixed- and random-effects panel regression modeling, when adjusted for potential confounders, was performed to assess the association between local SIV coverage rates and P&I mortality in older adults.
Results: A total of 1,144 local VCRs from 2003 to 2019 were ascertained. In the fully adjusted fixed-effects model, each 1% increase in vaccination coverage was associated (P < 0.001) with a 0.6% (95% CI: 0.3-0.9%) average over-time decrease in P&I mortality. With an annual average of 9,293 P&I deaths in Italy, this model suggested that 56 deaths could have been avoided each year by increasing SIV coverage by 1%. The random-effects model produced similar results. The base-case results were robust in a sensitivity analysis.
Conclusion: Over the last two decades, Italian jurisdictions with higher SIV uptake had, on average, fewer P&I deaths among older adults. Local policy-makers should implement effective strategies to increase SIV coverage in the Italian senior population.
Keywords: Italy; influenza; modeling; older adults; vaccination; vaccine impact.