Role of social determinants of health in pneumococcal vaccination among high-risk adults.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the influence of select social determinants of health on uptake of and time to pneumococcal vaccination among those deemed high-risk.

METHODS

Using nationwide claims data for years 2013-2016, adult patients (aged 18-64 years) were followed from their first diagnosis for a condition deeming them high-risk for invasive pneumococcal disease through the subsequent 365 days and observed for pneumococcal vaccination in outpatient clinics and pharmacies. Publicly-available data on select social determinants of health were incorporated into analyses, guided by the WHO vaccine hesitancy matrix. Controlling for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, logistic regression determined predictors of vaccination and a general linear model compared days to being vaccinated.

RESULTS

A total of 173,712 patients were analyzed of which approximately one quarter (25.3%) were vaccinated against invasive pneumococcal disease within the first year of being deemed high risk, nearly all of which (98.5%) were received in outpatient clinics. The odds of vaccination were higher among urban residents (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.144-1.223), areas of higher health literacy (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.019-1.025), and more Democratic-voting communities (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.23-1.88). Conversely, the likelihood of vaccination was particularly low in areas of higher poverty (OR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.068-0.304) and with limited Internet access (OR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.062-0.305) as well as among adults who did not also get a seasonal influenza vaccine (OR: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.048-0.052). Time to vaccination was longer in rural residents (B = 8.3, p < 0.0001) and communities with less Internet access (B = 75.6, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Social determinants may be influencing pneumococcal vaccine-seeking behavior among those deemed high-risk, but a more formal and comprehensive framework must be assessed to determine the full impact of these factors across vaccines recommended in adults.