Prevalence and Determinants of Influenza Immunization among Diabetic Patients Attending Al-Eskan Primary Health Care Center in Makkah Al-Mokarramah, 2018

Background: To decrease this risk of influenza infection in diabetic patients, annual influenza vaccination is recommended by WHO (World Health Organization), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and ADA (American Diabetic Association). Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and factor associated with success rate of influenza vaccination uptake among diabetic patients attending Al-Eskan Primary Health Care Center in Makkah Al-Mokarramah, 2018. Material and methods: A Cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the city of Makkah Al-Mokarramah among diabetic patients attending Al-Eskan PHCC during the period of survey in 2018. Convenience sampling technique was adopted to select the patients. Self-administered validated questionnaire was used for data collection. It consists of three sections: Socio-demographics, attitude towards seasonal flu and influenza vaccine and reasons for accepting, or reasons for refusing flu vaccine. Results: The study included 181 diabetic patients. Their age ranged between 19 and 82 years with a mean of 53.5 years and standard deviation of 13.7 years. Overall, positive attitude towards seasonal influenza vaccination was observed among 107 patients representing 59.1% of the respondents. The prevalence of seasonal influenza vaccine uptake by adult diabetic patients was 55.2%. Among patients accepted seasonal influenza vaccine (n=100), the main reasons were being free of charge (56%) and doctor informed them that it is important (41%) whereas among patients who refused seasonal influenza vaccine (n=81), the main reasons were being not necessary because flu is just a minor illness (40.7%), forgetting (35.8%) and belief that the vaccine was not effective (35.4%). Conclusion: The positive attitude towards seasonal influenza vaccine and its uptake by diabetic patients is acceptable. However, efforts are needed to improve the situation more