Influenza vaccination among high-risk subgroups in eleven European countries: findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Background: The risk of influenza-related complications is elevated in older adults and in persons with one or more chronic diseases. Vaccination of such individuals is therefore recommended in Europe as a preventive measure. We aimed to compare between European countries 1) to what extent high-risk subgroups receive influenza vaccination and 2) how likely they are to receive vaccination compared to the non-risk group. Methods: We used data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe collected in 2004/05. Adults aged 50+ years from eleven countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Gree…