Addressing the Challenges of Influenza Vaccination on US College Campuses
A report by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
May 2016 :: 10 pages
Overview
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), annual vaccination is the best way to reduce the chances that an individual will get influenza (flu). Yet on US college campuses, flu vaccination rates remain strikingly low, hovering between eight and 39 percent,1, 2, 3, 4 and falling dramatically short of the 70 percent Healthy People 2020 target recommendation5 as well as the American College Health Association (ACHA) Healthy Campus 2020 target goal of approximately 50 percent.6

Motivating college students to get an annual flu vaccination remains a public health challenge; therefore, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) convened a College Influenza Stakeholder Summit that included subject matter experts from academia, student organizations, professional medical associations, patient advocacy organizations, and industry (see page 8 for a complete list of participating organizations) to better understand the causes behind this vaccination gap. By bringing together these experts, the Summit sought to better understand the key barriers that prevent college students from getting an annual flu vaccine, as well as to identify strategies which would help students both recognize their risk and motivate them to get vaccinated.