A national survey from Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) and National Foundation for
Infectious Diseases (NFID) reveals that the majority of adult women
living in the United States do not believe they are up to date on
vaccinations to protect against many preventable diseases.
According to a telephone survey of 1,000 randomly selected U.S. adult
women age 26-74, 70% of survey participants reported receiving at least
one vaccination in the last five years to prevent disease—most often
citing the flu and tetanus vaccines. When asked about a range of other
common vaccines, some of which are recommended only for targeted age
groups, most respondents reported they were not up to date.
The survey also indicated that 60% of women intended to receive a
vaccination in the next five years. The vaccine-preventable diseases
women saw as the most serious threats to their health included
influenza/flu (44%), pneumonia (26%), and shingles (20%). Although 44%
viewed flu as a serious threat to their health in the next five years,
the survey showed that 49% do not intend to get a flu vaccine in that
same time frame, indicating that perceived risk does not necessarily
align with vaccination behavior.
“At a time when vaccine-preventable diseases like flu, shingles,
whooping cough, and measles are highly visible in the media around the
country, this survey supports what we as community pharmacists already
knew—that there is clearly a need to educate consumers and raise
awareness about the importance of vaccinations,” said Robert Thompson,
Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy.
The survey also found that 79% of women reported they would find an
immunization evaluation from a pharmacy helpful. In response, Rite Aid
is announcing the launch of Vaccine Central, a multi-faceted online
platform designed to help raise awareness about vaccines and promote
vaccinations. Rite Aid pharmacists, all of whom are certified
immunizers, are available to consult with customers and answer any
vaccination questions.
“Education and prevention are central to the NFID mission,” noted Marla
Dalton, NFID executive director. “According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), up to 50,000 adults die from
vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. every year. It is important for
adults to understand which vaccines are recommended for them and when.
Any tool that helps consumers in this process is a valuable asset to
public health.”
At Rite Aid’s Vaccine Central, located at www.riteaid.com/vaccinecentral,
visitors can complete an immunization evaluation, track their personal
immunization history, and find other educational resources on
immunizations.
Added Thompson, “Our new immunization assessment tool puts important
resources like vaccine recommendations, information about
vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization records right at the
fingertips of consumers, helping them to make important healthcare
decisions for themselves and their families, now and in the future.”
Other notable findings from the Rite Aid and NFID survey include:
-
More than 25% of U.S. women who reported receiving a flu vaccine in
the past year did so at a drug store
-
Approximately 3 out of 10 women (29%) consult their pharmacists about
infectious diseases, vaccines, and immunizations
-
The misconception that a flu shot causes the flu was the leading
response (28%) as to why survey participants did not receive the
vaccine
Survey Methodology
This telephone survey was conducted by international polling firm Ipsos
from September 2 to September 20, 2014 among a representative randomly
selected sample of 1,000 women between the ages of 26 to 74. The results
are considered accurate to within ± 3.1 percentage points. The margin of
error will be larger within sub-groupings of the survey population.
Rite Aid Corporation is one of the nation's leading drugstore chains
with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia and
fiscal 2014 annual revenues of $25.5 billion. Information about Rite
Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available
through the company's website at www.riteaid.com.
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit
organization founded in 1973 and dedicated to educating the public and
healthcare professionals about the causes, treatment, and prevention of
infectious diseases across the lifespan. For additional information,
visit www.nfid.org
and www.adultvaccination.org.
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