Why Older Adults in the Region Pass Up Flu Shot
Thursday. October 30, 2003

PHILADELPHIA, PA, October 2003 — Recently, nearly three out of ten older adults did not receive a flu shot according to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey. The most frequently cited reasons given for not receiving the flu shot included: not thinking the shot was needed (36.1%), allergic to it (15.7%), don’t believe in it (11.5%), and a fear of the shot (8.2%).

Influenza, more commonly know as the flu, is more than just a bad cold. It is a serious illness with a fever, cough, sore throat and body aches. Nationally, the flu causes about 20,000 deaths each year with elderly and chronically ill people at the greatest risk. Locally, 29.8% of adults 60 and older neglected to receive a flu shot according to the most recent Household Health Survey conducted by the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a local nonprofit agency. More than 3,000 older adults participated in the telephone survey in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.

October is flu and pneumonia awareness month.  PHMC is a nonprofit, public health organization committed to improving the health of the community through outreach, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services. PHMC is a United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania member agency. Additional Household Health Survey findings are located on PHMC’s Community Health Data Base webpage at www.phmc.org/chdb.