Tetanus Vaccination and Extra-Immunization among Adult Populations: Eight-Year Follow Up Cohort Study of 771,443 Adults in Taiwan, 2006–2013

Shih-Wei Liu, Liang-Chung Huang, Wu-Fu Chung, Jauching Wu, Li-Fu Chen and Yu-Chun Chen
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Shih-Wei Liu: Department of Emergency Medicine, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, I-Lan 26042, Taiwan
Liang-Chung Huang: Department of Emergency Medicine, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, I-Lan 26042, Taiwan
Wu-Fu Chung: Department of Emergency Medicine, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, I-Lan 26042, Taiwan
Jauching Wu: School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
Li-Fu Chen: Department of Emergency Medicine, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, I-Lan 26042, Taiwan
Yu-Chun Chen: School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: Under-and extra-immunization of tetanus boosters are important issues to consider in reducing the burden of vaccine-preventable disease in adults. The present study aimed to analyze the trend of vaccination coverage (VC) and risk factors associated with extra-immunization of tetanus during an 8-year period using a national-scale cohort database. Taiwan’s one-million representative research database, the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID2005) was used. A total of 771,443 adults aged between 20 and 79 years were enrolled and followed from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2013. VC at the beginning was as low as 35.1%, declining gradually and dropping to 33.9% at the end of follow-up. While a total of 303,480 tetanus boosters were used during the study period, more than half (55.5%) of these boosters were considered as extra-immunized. Both individual characteristics and visit characteristics were strongly associated with extra-immunization. Males, young and older adults, and those with a higher number of comorbidities were more likely to receive extra-immunization boosters, especially when they had more severe symptoms, visited an emergency room, or visited a hospital with lower accreditation levels located in a less urbanized area. This information could enhance implementation of evidence-based programs for tetanus boosters.

Keywords: tetanus boosters; vaccination coverage; extra-immunization; cohort study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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