Coverage and predictors of influenza vaccine uptake among adults aged 16 to 59 years suffering from a chronic condition in Madrid, Spain.

Based on data drawn from the 2007 Madrid Regional Health Survey (MRHS), we sought to: estimate influenza vaccination coverage among people ages 16-59 years old suffering from chronic conditions (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases, kidney diseases, malignant neoplasm and fibromyalgia) living in the region of Madrid and to determine which socio-demographic and health-related variables were associated with the likelihood of being vaccinated. We analyzed data from 8,337 subjects. The reply to the question "Were you vaccinated against influenza in the last vaccination campaign?" was taken as the dependent variable. Coverage was calculated for different specific diseases that constitute an indication for vaccination. Independent variables included socio-demographics, health-related and use of health care services variables. The proportion of vaccinated adults suffering from any chronic condition in 2007 was 23.5%. Very low coverages were found among kidney diseases (16.1%), malignant neoplasm (10.9%) and fibromyalgia (14.2%) sufferers. The variables which increased the likelihood of being vaccinated among adults suffering any chronic condition were: higher age, being Spanish, absence of a smoking habit and having primary studies. We conclude that influenza vaccination coverage among people living in Madrid and suffering from a chronic condition is unacceptably low, thereby making it necessary for strategies to be urgently implemented aimed at improving the use of influenza vaccine.