Vaccination take-up and health: Evidence from a flu vaccination program for the elderly

Ylenia Brilli, Claudio Lucifora (), Antonio Russo and Marco Tonello

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2020, vol. 179, issue C, 323-341

Abstract: We analyze the effects of a vaccination program providing free flu vaccine to individuals aged 65 or more on take-up behavior and hospitalization. Using both administrative and survey data, we implement a regression discontinuity design around the threshold at age 65, and find that the effect of the program on take-up ranges between 70% and 90% of the average vaccination rate for individuals aged less than 65. We show that this effect is not entirely driven by an income channel, but also depends on the expected benefits of vaccination. The results on health outcomes provide suggestive evidence that the program reduces the likelihood of emergency hospitalization.

Keywords: Vaccination; Influenza; Public health; Health prevention policies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 J10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Vaccination Take-up and Health: Evidence from a Flu Vaccination Program for the Elderly (2020)
Working Paper: Vaccination take-up and health: evidence from a flu vaccination program for the elderly (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:179:y:2020:i:c:p:323-341

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2020.09.010

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