Influenza Immunization among College Students and the Barriers to Vaccination

Although the Healthy People 2020 goal for annual flu vaccination among college students is 70%, only 20% of college students are receiving the flu shot annually. To date, most flu vaccination uptake studies have focused on increasing flu vaccination uptake among vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly. However, studies have shown that when college students are sick and miss class or study time, their academic performance decreases and their stress can increase. This study aims to understand students’ perceptions of the flu vaccine and the flu vaccination program on Jefferson’s Center City Campus. We piloted a 20-item Qualtrics survey among two colleges at Jefferson University Center City Campus, the College of Population Health and the College of Life Sciences, via email and intercept interview. Ninety-eight students completed the survey, with 50 of them receiving their flu vaccine on Jefferson’s campus. About 80% reported being aware of the flu shot program on campus and 70% agreed that Jefferson’s program is doing a good job with flu shot outreach. Additionally, respondents suggested improving the program and outreach by having more open hours, emphasizing that it is free, and professors including the flu shot program dates in their syllabi. These results may be used to improve future flu shot programs on Jefferson’s Center City campus and possibly encourage other universities to reflect and improve their own flu shot programs